Erik ten Hag, during a discussion with Gary Neville, identified the key player Manchester United required to emulate Ajax’s style of play.
Reflecting on Man United’s pursuit of Harry Kane, Rasmus Hojlund’s potential, and the team’s injury woes, Ten Hag highlighted Frenkie de Jong as essential for instilling the Ajax ethos at United.
He explained how De Jong and Casemiro could have complemented each other, stressing the importance of such players for their desired style.
When asked about whether De Jong would have helped change United’s play style, Ten Hag said: “That would have been Frenkie de Jong and Casemiro. [They would have] really been connected with each other. They would have been really complimentary with each other. Absolutely.
“That is a typical player if you want to play the Ajax style. You need that type of player.”
On why his preferred style of football had failed at United this term, Ten Hag continued: “Frustration is not the right word because I’m a realistic man.
“Last year when I came in, you make your adjustments but at the end of the day, it’s about winning games. From last year, we found a way to make a very successful team.
He admitted fans want wins by saying: “But the fans want to see a successful team, a team that’s winning. What we always try to do, and it’s a compliment to the team, in every game, they went for it and they had a spirit.
Ten Hag also addressed the challenges of implementing his preferred tactics at United, citing the need for consistency and adaptability, particularly in light of defensive changes.
Despite the adjustments made, he acknowledged the team’s aspirations to play proactively, dynamically, and with a high defensive line.
“We make the adjustments a little bit in our way of play because when you don’t have a left-footed centre back or on the left side in the full-back position, you have to make adjustments you want to play, so we did.
“We are not where we want to be with the way we want to play, but the headlines are still there because we want to be proactive, be dynamic and we want to play with a high line. That’s what we always aim for.
“When you have so many changes in back four, the rules and principles remain the same, but the patterns are not there. We don’t bring the results and we know that.”
However, he recognized the need for improvement, especially in converting draws into victories, attributing some struggles to the lack of defensive stability caused by frequent changes.
“We have made improvements. We score more goals after the winter break and also we were more consistent.
He concluded: ‘We haven’t had so many defeats in 2024 – only three defeats – but we draw too much. What we can do is put ourselves in a winning position, but then you have to draw to bring it over the line.”
Erik ten Hag names the one player he needs to play ‘Ajax football’ at Old Trafford
