Erik ten Hag’s makeshift Manchester United side were beaten by Rosenborg in a pre-season friendly (Source: AFP)
Erik ten Hag has hailed the return to Manchester United of club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy.
With his own future resolved following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s decision to stand by the man who masterminded last season’s FA Cup triumph, Ten Hag has since been armed with a new-look backroom team.
Fellow Dutchmen Rene Hake and Van Nistelrooy have both joined the coaching staff that will support Ten Hag over the course of the coming campaign.
The trio got a first glimpse of the playing talent they will get to work with last night asUnited began their pre-season campaign with an underwhelming performance and 1-0 defeat against Rosenborg.
A team which featured Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and Mason Mount in the first-half, struggled to create goalscoring chances but Ten Hag is confident his compatriot and former Old Trafford favaourite Van Nistelrooy will work his magic withUnited’s forward line.
‘He is a very ambitious manage,’ said Ten Hag. ‘He has a great skillset as a manager so he will help the team.
‘He will help individual players but definitely he will help the team in all the team functions in football, but definitely attacking-wise and pressing-wise.’
Ruud van Nistelrooy has returned to Manchester United as assistant coach (Picture: Getty)
Ruud van Nistelrooy signs autographs for Manchester United fans (Picture: Getty)
Ten Hag, meanwhile, was less than impressed with the performance of his makeshift team in Norway and sounded an earlier warning to any players who dip below the standards he expects.
‘The result is not secondary,’ Ten Hag told the MUTV. ‘Of course, we play pre-season but at Man United the standard is you win games and definitely don’t lose games.
‘So if you can’t win, don’t lose the game, like we did in the last second of the game. But of course, the performance is more important and the performance was below standards.
‘Let’s say he (Vitek) got the opportunity from the team to make some very good saves because the performance from the team is, by far, not good enough.
‘We can talk [about] everything that is bad, but I’m not that guy. I have seen and this is not the standard for top football. Top football, you have to achieve much higher standards, starts with any individual, make sure you’re fit.
‘I know we can’t be match-fit in this moment, I know you need these games. The opponent is in the league, they have a much higher fitness level but we are Man United and players from Man United, a team from Man United, should perform better.’
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