Ten Hag no longer sees 'an enemy behind every tree' after making Man Utd man 'smile again'
Erik ten Hag has made Cristiano Ronaldo smile again, with the Man Utd side pulling in the same direction, according to Dutch coach Foppe de Haan.
The Dutchman got off to a nightmarish start to his reign as Red Devils boss by losing his first two Premier League games.
The 2-1 loss to Brighton on the opening weekend was too shocking, but the way they lost 4-0 to Brentford the following week sent shockwaves through the entire fan base.
Transfer gossip: Murtough blocked €20m deal with Man Utd, Barca back for Silva, Egan at West Ham
However, Ten Hag has deftly rode the wave of criticism and has won four consecutive league wins since, taking them to fifth place in the start-of-season standings.
They suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad in the Europa League at Old Trafford on Thursday, but that won't worry the Dutchman too much.
And former Heerenveen and Netherlands Under-21 boss De Haan thinks Ten Hag will be a success at Man Utd and doesn't think his compatriot will get the credit he deserves as a as a coach.
"With Ten Hag, people often think: what kind of man is he?" De Haan told De Telegraaf.
"But when he starts talking about football, you know right away wait a minute, this guy knows what he wants.
"He really has an idea and makes it trainable. He makes demands, is very clear about them, and seems completely reliable in the things he wants and does. That's why he's lasted so long in the clubs
"Ten Hag has also noticed the direction football is taking. The game in small spaces and the extremely physical.
"Not in the sense of power-boys, but who are fast and dexterous and can run. You have to be able to run, run, run," he once said. That's true too. And you have to have guts."
Ronaldo's future proved a big distraction over the summer with reports claiming the Portugal international had made it clear to the club's hierarchy that he wanted to leave the club.
>Man Utd have no Champions League football this season, one of the main reasons Ronaldo wanted to leave, but a lack of interest in his services means Ten Hag now has the 37-year-old at his disposal.
And De Haan believes Ten Hag's early display of power, benching Ronaldo in five of six Premier League games, made his side respect him.
"They all struggled a lot with it (the players) after Alex Ferguson," added De Haan.
"He was also very clear immediately towards Cristiano Ronaldo. It was good. He sat on the bench against Arsenal and smiled again.
"It's very smart. Trust is very important, so you also give it to another. So you dare and you don't see an enemy behind every tree."
Erik ten Hag has made Cristiano Ronaldo smile again, with the Man Utd side pulling in the same direction, according to Dutch coach Foppe de Haan.
The Dutchman got off to a nightmarish start to his reign as Red Devils boss by losing his first two Premier League games.
The 2-1 loss to Brighton on the opening weekend was too shocking, but the way they lost 4-0 to Brentford the following week sent shockwaves through the entire fan base.
Transfer gossip: Murtough blocked €20m deal with Man Utd, Barca back for Silva, Egan at West Ham
However, Ten Hag has deftly rode the wave of criticism and has won four consecutive league wins since, taking them to fifth place in the start-of-season standings.
They suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad in the Europa League at Old Trafford on Thursday, but that won't worry the Dutchman too much.
And former Heerenveen and Netherlands Under-21 boss De Haan thinks Ten Hag will be a success at Man Utd and doesn't think his compatriot will get the credit he deserves as a as a coach.
"With Ten Hag, people often think: what kind of man is he?" De Haan told De Telegraaf.
"But when he starts talking about football, you know right away wait a minute, this guy knows what he wants.
"He really has an idea and makes it trainable. He makes demands, is very clear about them, and seems completely reliable in the things he wants and does. That's why he's lasted so long in the clubs
"Ten Hag has also noticed the direction football is taking. The game in small spaces and the extremely physical.
"Not in the sense of power-boys, but who are fast and dexterous and can run. You have to be able to run, run, run," he once said. That's true too. And you have to have guts."
Ronaldo's future proved a big distraction over the summer with reports claiming the Portugal international had made it clear to the club's hierarchy that he wanted to leave the club.
>Man Utd have no Champions League football this season, one of the main reasons Ronaldo wanted to leave, but a lack of interest in his services means Ten Hag now has the 37-year-old at his disposal.
And De Haan believes Ten Hag's early display of power, benching Ronaldo in five of six Premier League games, made his side respect him.
"They all struggled a lot with it (the players) after Alex Ferguson," added De Haan.
"He was also very clear immediately towards Cristiano Ronaldo. It was good. He sat on the bench against Arsenal and smiled again.
"It's very smart. Trust is very important, so you also give it to another. So you dare and you don't see an enemy behind every tree."
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