'Will never play like that...', Erik ten Hag admits Manchester United will not hit highs of his Ajax team
Erik ten Hag during his coaching days at Ajax
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has made a stunning admission that his team will never play the style of football that he implemented during his previous 'successful' stint at Ajax.
Ten Hag's statement comes after his side were humbled in the Manchester derby by cross-city rivals. The defeat raised questions over Ten Hag's playing philosophy which has been seemingly non-existent during his time at Old Trafford.
"Never. We will never play that football. Because those were different players. This is also not why I came here," said Ten Hag.
"That is not in the DNA of Manchester United at all. The football at Ajax is very typical, here we will play much more directly. We also have the players for that, especially at the forefront," he added.
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Despite being at the club for more than a year and having spent hundreds of millions of dollarson player transfers, United are far from having a cogent playing style. The team is unable to depict a set pattern of play, something which Ten Hag's compatriots like Ange Postecoglou, Unai Emery and Roberto De Zerbi have displayed, despite takingcharge of their respective teams much later.
Under Ten Hag, Ajax became one of the top European teams and went toe-to-toe with top teams in the continental competitions. Ajax's 2018-19 Champions League run is still remembered vividly by football purists.
The team thrashed the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid and nearly qualified for the finals before stumbling in the final seconds of the semifinal second leg against Tottenham Hotspur.
Apart from UCL, Ten Hag won three Eredivisie titles andtwo KNVB Cups with the Ajax team which is now in a relegation battle, following his departure.
At Ajax, Ten Hag played possession-based football with quick, incisive passing in the final third. The likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Donny van de Beek, Andre Onanaand Hakim Ziyech played their best football under him. However, since moving to different clubs, very few have hit the highs of their Ajax days.
(With inputs from agencies)
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