Sir Alex Ferguson praises Ten Hag
"I think Ten Hag is doing a great job," Ferguson told NBC Sports August 14. "This coach brings in the necessary players, which is very important. And if there are more strikers, Man Utd will be a really good club. Because the position they have lacked in the last few years is the striker."
In his first season at Old Trafford, Ten Hag signed many desirable players such as Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro or Antony. The Dutch coach helped Man Utd achieve initial success when winning the League Cup to end the five-year title thirst, and finishing third in the Premier League to return to the Champions League.
This summer, Man Utd has a limited budget because of the instability at the top, but still experienced a relatively successful transfer period. They soon settled on three important goals for all three lines, including goalkeeper Andre Onana, midfielder Mason Mount and striker Rasmus Hojlund. Man Utd has not stopped when it is negotiating to buy Bayern defender Benjamin Pavard and Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.
Except for Hojlund's injury and a few weeks off, which made Ten Hag not have a satisfactory striker, Ferguson assessed the rest of Man Utd quite evenly. According to the former Scottish coach, the "Red Devils" have experienced players like Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro to build a good foundation. He highly appreciates Onana and expects Hojlund to reach his best soon.
Ferguson is the most successful manager in Man Utd history, having won 37 trophies, including a record 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League titles, during his 27 years in charge. After resigning in 2013, he mainly acted as an ambassador for Man Utd, and hardly interfered professionally at Old Trafford.
Last year, before the Europa League play-off second leg against Barca, Ten Hag and Ferguson had dinner together at the Italian restaurant Cibo in Wilmslow, Cheshire. The Dutch coach revealed that his senior shared his knowledge and experience and can't wait to talk to Ferguson another day.
In the opening match of the Premier League season 2023-2024 against Wolves, Man Utd played unconvincingly but still won 1-0 thanks to Varane's only goal. Ten Hag's teachers and students faced a more difficult challenge in the second round, when they were guests at Tottenham on August 19.
