"He demands a lot" - Manchester United star Matthijs de Ligt on how it feels to play under Ten Hag
New Manchester United centre-back Matthijs de Ligt has shed light on the working style of head coach Erik ten Hag. De Ligt had worked with his compatriot at Ajax before reuniting at Old Trafford this summer.
After three seasons at Juventus and the last two at Bayern Munich, De Ligt arrived at United in a deal worth £38.5 million (as per the BBC), signing a contract for five years, with an option for a sixth.
Having achieved success under Ten Hag at Ajax - leading the Eredivisie giants to the cusp of the 2019 UEFA Champions League final - De Ligt elaborated on Ten Hag's coaching style. In an exclusive interview with United's website, the 25-year-old said (0:52):
"He's really demanding, I think, he demands every day every moment of the training session. He demands a lot, not only on the training pitch but also outside, how you behave, how you take care of your body, how you rest, how you sleep. He's really into discipline. And that suits really well with the way I see being a professional footballer."
About his relationship with Ten Hag, De Ligt added:
"He knows me really well. I know him really well. He made me captain also at Ajax. Also, my time at Ajax, he gave me a lot of confidence. He gave me a lot of motivation also to try to lead the team.
"This summer, when United came for me and the trainer also wanted me really badly and the club also, it made me really easy to get the chance to get to the Premier League first of all. And second of all, the biggest club in English football history, So, yeah, for me it was a really easy choice to make."
Matthijs de Ligt has featured in all three Premier League games for Manchester United this season - starting one - with United winning one and losing two.
What's next for Matthijs de Ligt's Manchester United?
Manchester United have made an underwhelming start to the new season, losing thrice in four games across competitions. After losing to Manchester City on penalties in the FA Community Shield, they beat Fulham 1-0 at home in their Premier League opener.
However, they slumped to a last-gasp 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion in their next outing before getting thumped 3-0 at home to arch-rivals Liverpool last weekend.
Following the international break, Matthijs de Ligt and Co. will return to league action with a trip to Southampton on September 14. The Red Devils are 14th in the standings after three games.