For Erik ten Hag, with the ink still drying on his 12-month contract extension, there is now nowhere to hide.
There was certainly no shortage of contextual factors that go some way to explaining a dreadful Manchester United campaign in 2024/25.
An almost unprecedented series of injuries, the takeover saga, the unseemly situations involving Jadon Sancho, Antony and Mason Greenwood to name but three.
But, with Man United opting to keep the faith and extend Ten Hag’s contract until the summer of 2026, Rene Meulensteen insists that there can be no room for excuses next time around.
Yes, the injuries were debilitating; Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount and more all spending months on the sidelines. But, even when many of Man United’s key players were fit, dismal performances continued to roll in.
And former Old Trafford assistant Meulensteen feels that the responsibility ultimately falls to Ten Hag to turn things around. For all those uncertainty in the boardroom during the handover from the Glazers to Ineos, that should not prevent the former Ajax boss from putting in place a clear, coherent gameplan on the pitches of Carrington.
Something Man United lacked arguably until the FA Cup final triumph over Man City. A victory which ensured a historically-poor campaign ended on a positive note.
Erik ten Hag signs contract extension at Manchester United
“You, as a manager, have control over the one important thing that matters; the players,” Meulensteen, who won four Premier League titles as Sir Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man, tells talkSPORT (3 July, 12pm).
“You decide what you do on that training pitch. Sir Alex used to say to me; ‘Rene, everything you do on the training pitch will manifest itself in the game. Good and bad’.
“It’s a reflection of your training, your preparation, everything that goes in it. That’s what he (Ten Hag) can control. That’s where the performances – or the lack of performances – come from.”
While new technical director Jason Wilcox and the incoming Chrstopher Vivell are expected to play a major role regarding incomings and outgoings – recruitment a more collaborative effort at Old Trafford these days – ESPN reports that Ten Hag will retain the power to ‘veto’ proposed transfers he does not agree with.
That, Meulensteen, feels is another area of Ten Hag’s role which has left a lot to be desired.
He highlights the consistently underwhelming performances of £82 million winger Antony as the hapless posterboy of Man United’s very mixed recruitment record under the Dutchman.
Rene Meulensteen critical of Red Devils recruitment
“He’s brought in quite a number of players who also haven’t really done the job for him, (such as) Antony,” Meulensteen adds.
“The guys you’ve just mentioned (brought in by Ineos) are going to be responsible for the guys that come in. But he is the one who is responsible for them on a daily basis
“He is creating that culture.”
Man United’s pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt may have Ten Hag’s fingerprints all over it – he was the manager’s captain at Ajax, after all – but it is actually Ineos who have driven a potential £42 million deal for the Bayern Munich defender, according to The Times.
New sporting director Dan Ashworth, per Fussball News, is also a big fan of a defender he wanted at Newcastle.
A deal Meulensteen feels that the arrival of his fellow Dutchman would go some way to fixing an error-prone backline.
“It is an interesting one,” Meulensteen said when asked about those De Ligt links. “He’s obviously a very good player. He’s a strong centre-back, powerful.
“But a new player coming into the Premier League, and the Premier League is always different a challenge.
“But Erik worked with him, and I think it could be a good fit.”
