“You have to follow his rules” – Fernandes compares Ten Hag to Guardiola and Klopp after promising Man Utd start
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is bringing a Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp-esque mindset to Old Trafford, according to midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
Ten Hag took charge of Man Utd over the summer, replacing Ralf Rangnick after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking, but endured a tough start to life as Red Devils boss. Being fairly stagnant for a large portion of the summer transfer window, Man Utd only burst into action late in the day.
It has been a similar experience on the pitch with Man Utd losing their opening two matches of the new Premier League season, beaten at home by Brighton and Hove Albion before being trashed 4-0 by Brentford. However, since that defeat Man Utd have won their next four Premier League matches including victories over Liverpool and Arsenal.
Man Utd go into the international break fifth in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Arsenal though they do hold a game in hand over the Gunners. It’s a good time for teams to start analysing the way they have begun the season and Man Utd are finally looking like a team ready to challenge, with Ten Hag working particularly well in building a defensive partnership between Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.
Martinez was one of six first-team signings made by Man Utd this summer, who also brought in Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Antony and Martin Dubravka, with the latter trio joining late on.
While this, alongside their start to the season, may have worried some Man Utd fans, Fernandes has trust in Ten Hag and believes the Dutchman is bringing stability to the club similar to that found at rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
“First of all, he has an idea. He has a style. You have to follow his rules. He is strict on that. And I like that. He has brought discipline, which is something I think we missed in the past. Everyone must be on the same page,” he told the Athletic.
“That is what Pep (Guardiola) and (Jurgen) Klopp have been doing for years, because they have stability in the club and in the way they choose the transfer market and build the team, which is really important for them to get the rewards.
“I saw the manager say in a press conference that we do not want to bring players just for the sake of bringing them; we want to bring the right players for what we want to do. It is something the club needs.
“We still have a margin to improve and he needs time to get the most out of us with his idea of playing. I believe we will get to the point with him where we are established as a team and everyone is on the same page.”
