Erik ten Hag punished Manchester United player for being late for team meetings twice on tour
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reportedly acted against a player who twice turned up late for a team meeting, dropping him for a game he’d planned to use him in.
FollowOn the Manchester United pre-season tour, Erik ten Hag reportedly dropped a team player after the latter arrived late to team meetings on two occasions. With an almost flawless record during their 18-day pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, the Dutchman had a solid start to life at United. Since one of his key strategies is severe discipline, the players seem to be virtually grasping his methods and tactics now.
After taking over this summer, United's new manager imposed stringent guidelines on punctuality, diet, and alcohol intake. Ten Hag had planned to use an unnamed player in a game in Australia but dropped him because of his repeated tardiness for team meetings during the trip, according to The Athletic. He has decided to make it clear that he will uphold his standards and that punctuality is essential.
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The former Ajax boss previously vowed to crack down on discipline amongst the Red Devils squad. "When you want to get results, you need a team. It is organisation, co-operation, and also you need discipline. When there is no discipline around, you will not find it on the pitch as well," the United manager added.
"I'm quite severe on such issues. I will tell every player what I expect of them. I have high standards because you are here, you are playing for Manchester United, then you must bring it every day on the pitch," Ten Hag remarked.
"Why are you not acting to your standards? That is an expectation I have. I think we have done well. The players respond well to the demands we have. I set some standards, we introduce how we play, and I'm satisfied with that," he concluded.
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Many players on the team, especially veteran goalkeeper David De Gea, have praised Ten Hag's tight guidelines and innovative playing styles. "We needed a better culture of football, of just thinking about football, nothing else,' De Gea said when asked about his new manager's philosophy.
"Of course, you cannot be late. People who work in their jobs, you cannot be late. So I think you cannot be late for training, we cannot be late for the meetings. That's life, you have to be on time and professional," the Spaniard added.
Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes is in total agreement with punishment for bad time-keeping. "I think we missed that [discipline] for a while and I think the way I see discipline is important," he said.
"For me, discipline is not only the way you play on the pitch, the position that you have, what you have to do, it's also off the pitch. Don't be late for the meetings, don't be late for the meals. I think that's really important because if everyone is on time and someone comes late, he should be punished. I think it's really good that he [Ten Hag] is doing that and, for me, amazing because I like to be on time so I won't have problems with that," the Portugal international added.
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On Saturday, Manchester United plays Atletico Madrid in Oslo after returning from a tour of Australia and Thailand. One day later, the Red Devils play Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford, and Ten Hag is anticipated to select two different starting lineups to give everyone much-needed game action.
The two games will allow the new manager to give new additions, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez, a chance to flourish before the upcoming Premier League season.
