‘Out of Top-4 but…’ – Zlatan Ibrahimovic pinpoints five key mistakes Erik ten Hag has already made at Man Utd this season
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has expressed his belief that Erik ten Hag is making a mistake by applying the same methods he used at Ajax to manage Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag, 53, earned recognition during his initial year at Old Trafford but is currently facing challenges in the ongoing season.
The Dutch manager is overseeing Manchester United’s worst start to a league season in 34 years and faced criticism from fans after the team’s recent loss to Crystal Palace.
The Manchester United hierarchy brought Ten Hag to rebuild the club based on his successful track record at Ajax, where he secured three Dutch titles in four years.
However, the expectations at Manchester United are on a grander scale compared to Ajax, as emphasized by Ibrahimovic, a former United player, in a recent interview with TalkTV.
Ibrahimovic pointed out that the approach needed at Manchester United should differ due to the caliber of players at the club.
He believes that Ten Hag is managing the high-profile players at United in the same manner as he did with his young Ajax team.
Ibrahimovic stated: “Coming from Ajax to United as he did is a big difference — I have been in both clubs. You have a different kind of discipline. Ajax is a talented club. They have the best talents in the club. They don’t have big stars.”
“What is the experience of this coach? Young talents, come to United, it is a different mentality. The players there are supposed to be big stars. I don’t think you give the same treatment.”
As Manchester United faces a difficult start to the season, the pressure on Ten Hag is increasing. Their recent defeat to Crystal Palace marked the first time the club lost four of their opening seven league games in the Premier League era.
Ten Hag defended his players and stated that improvements were necessary in the coming weeks. He also responded to claims that the club had not progressed during his tenure, highlighting the need for adjustments.
United is seeking a positive result as they prepare to face Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday night, following a 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in their opening group game last month. FC Copenhagen is the other team in Group A.
