Erik ten Hag has claimed that former interim Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick was right about the problems that he inherited when he joined the club.
The Dutchman was very close to losing his job this summer but INEOS decided that he was the best man to lead the club forward at this time.
Ten Hag has already commented on the fact there was a breakdown in communication between himself and the owners earlier in the summer but there have been frank and open conversations since the infamous Ibiza summit where he was informed he would be kept on as manager.
Speaking to AD Sportwereld (via The Telegraph), the 54-year-old spoke out on the problems he encountered when he took on the role just over two years ago.
Ten Hag admitted that he had inherited a “no good culture” at the club after they had finished the 2021/22 season trophyless and in sixth position.
“I was not shocked [by what I inherited]. But the culture, the mentality was really not good. To win, to really achieve top performance every week, we had to change a lot.”
“Rangnick was absolutely right. We’ve been working very hard on that for two years, but he said it just right: it’s a very complex operation.”
The German famously claimed that the side needed open heart surgery and that the issues plaguing the club were obvious for all to see.
The former Ajax coach also claimed he was well aware how difficult the job would be and he was actually advised by numerous people not to accept the role due to the impossible nature of the position.
“I knew when I started that it was going to be a tough job. There are a lot of people who have advised me. Louis van Gaal [the former United manager] too.”
Ten Hag then dampened expectations for next season, stating that the club is still very far away from winning the Premier League or competing for Europe’s premier competition.
“We want this club back to where it was more than a decade ago, to a club that wins the Premier League, which can win Champions Leagues. We are really a long way away from that, I think.”
He asserted that there had been improvements, hence the Carabao Cup and FA Cup trophies the club won in the previous two seasons but he admitted that “our standards, our norms and values, still need to go up.”
The new co-owners have already made their intentions clear with a no-nonsense approach to the transfer market and the complete overhaul of the sporting department.
Most United fans will appreciate that the Red Devils cannot yet mount a title challenge but they will certainly believe Champions League qualification and being competitive in any game is not beyond Ten Hag or his squad.
