Erik ten Hag joining Man United players in 8.5 mile run was the moment fans discovered he was the real deal
Erik ten Hag has completely turned things around at Manchester United, with the Red Devils just three points behind second-placed Manchester City following the 3-0 win over Leicester City on Sunday.
United have lost just twice in their last 20 games and look well on their way to heading back to the Champions League, having established an eight-point lead between themselves and fifth-placed Newcastle.
They also have the chance of winning a first trophy since 2017 next Sunday when they take on the Magpies in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
The 13-time Premier League winners have been in fine form but one can’t forget they started the season off with back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Brentford.
However, after the dark and dismal 4-0 loss at the Gtech Stadium, Ten Hag showed what he is all about.
Goals from Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee and Bryan Mbeumo in the first half made it a miserable old time for United and Ten Hag was furious with what he saw.
As a punishment, he demanded his players to come into training on their planned day off on the Sunday and instructed them to run 13.8 kilometres [8.5 miles] – the difference in distance covered by Brentford.
That’s not all though, Ten Hag, 52, joined his players in partaking in the brutal training exercise in 33 degree heat. As per The Mirror, United players were initially “raging” with the activity but their new manager earned their respect and made a “deep impression”.
The Dutchman was “physically shattered” but his actions proved that he is undoubtedly the real deal.
A source told The Mirror: “The players were raging when they discovered their punishment for the no-show at Brentford would be an 8.5-mile run. But the moans ceased when it became clear that the manager was planning to do the same as them.
“He didn’t have to tell anyone why. It was clear that he wasn’t going to let his players take all the blame for the performance. Ten Hag also felt he had to show that he also felt culpable. It was a tough run for the players – but it was even more gruelling for Erik – and they were impressed.”
In the following fixture, United beat rivals Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford and ran 19km more than the Merseysiders.
Although early days, it proved to be a key moment in the season for United and helped turn things around before a crisis could begin.
It probably will get forgotten about in the passing of time, but don’t think it can be underestimated the importance Ten Hag’s reaction to Brentford was in the team’s turnaround. Made the team run 9 miles, but he did it with them. Showed squad he was part of collective efforts
— Chris Winterburn (@cmwinterburn) February 19, 2023
Fast forward to February and United look like a proper, well-coached team again and you have to give huge credit to the man at the helm.
