"Made me a much better footballer" - Arsenal star credits Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag for his development
Arsenal's new signing Jurrien Timber has attributed Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag for his development as a footballer. The Dutch defender paid tribute to the former Ajax manager for the role he played in his rise to stardom.
Arsenal secured Timber's services from Ajax this summer for £40 million. The right-back rejected the chance to reunite with Ten Hag at Manchester United and secured a move to the Emirates.
He spent three years at Ajax playing under the Dutch manager, winning two domestic titles together. Following Arsenal's 5-3 victory in their pre-season friendly against Barcelona on 27 July, Timber said (as quoted by The Mirror):
"Erik ten Hag gave me confidence and made me a much better footballer. I decided to stay an extra year at Ajax and develop as a player. Now the time feels right. Every year I look at how I have grown as a defender — my ultimate goal is to become the best defender in the world. Last year I extended my contract and made agreements with the club about how I could leave."
He added:
"I was able to enjoy the best football training imaginable at Ajax and make great strides. If you can give something back in return in the form of a transfer fee of around £40m, this has been the almost perfect picture. Of course, last season was disappointing, but before that I won two league titles and enjoyed wonderful years."
🗣️| Jurrien Timber: “Erik ten Hag gave me confidence and made me a much better footballer. I decided to stay an extra year at Ajax and develop as a player. Now the time feels right.
“Last year I extended my contract and made agreements with the club about how I could leave. I… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/IOwymYLVAq
Timber had a great 2022/23 campaign with Ajax, registering 34 league appearances for the Dutch outfit. However, they were unable to win the Eredivisie last term after Feyenoord secured the domestic title.
“It’s all dependent on the budget" - Gary Neville makes interesting Premier League prediction involving Arsenal and Manchester United
Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes the Red Devils can beat the Gunners to a second-place finish next season. The Englishman has backed his former club to challenge Manchester City for the league title over Arsenal during the 2023/24 campaign.
Last season, the Gunners finished above Manchester United in second place, nine points ahead of Ten Hag's side, who finished in third place.
Neville has predicted a different outcome for next season, claiming next year's top four spots will be determined by the respective clubs' budgets. The Englishman told FourFourTwo (as quoted by football.london):
“It’s all dependent on the budget. Under the owners, the club [Manchester United] has had, I think they’ll probably still finish in the top four, but I don’t think they’ll improve on it. If they got new owners and had £250m or £300m to spend, they’ve got a chance of going up to second. I do think they’ve got a chance of taking that spot off Arsenal – that’s up for grabs – but they’d have to spend well.”
It remains to be seen where the two English outfits will finish in the Premier League standings next season.