Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has admitted that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has played a big role in the Dutch coach’s methods on the training pitch, with the pair working together at Bayern Munich.
Speaking to United’s official website, the former Ajax boss revealed that he has a lot of admiration for the Catalan coach, with Ten Hag part of Guardiola’s non-playing staff in Germany, where the pair won three Bundesliga titles and the FIFA Club World Cup.
No manager of United, Ten Hag is looking to implement some of the lessons learnt under Guardiola’s tutelage with the Red Devils, with the 52-year-old putting a huge emphasis on playing academy graduates and developing young talents, attributes seen during his years at Ajax.
Whilst it might take some time for these particular Ten Hag methods to bear fruit, other quirks such as playing possession-based football with keeping the ball to the ground have also seeped into the Dutchman’s philosophy, something that was popularised by Guardiola.
Indeed, Ten Hag learned a lot under his former Bayern boss during their spell in Bavaria, and ahead of today’s Manchester derby, the United boss has revealed that he admires how much success Guardiola has had in the game and with City in recent years.
Ten Hag said when asked about comparisons to Guardiola: “First of all, the most important thing is that no two people are the same. I have to stick by myself and then I learn a lot from many human beings in football. Especially, in regards to the top coaches, I admire Pep Guardiola, not only because he is successful but because he is doing it in a certain way which really attracts people to football. That is a really big reward.”
Ten Hag will look to trump Guardiola in first official meeting
United have enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent weeks under Ten Hag following new arrivals and the decision to drop both Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting XI, yet facing City and Guardiola will be the Dutchman’s biggest test yet, and it is sure to be an interesting contest.
Erling Haaland’s imperious Premier League form has made City clear favourites for this contest, yet if Ten Hag is to really earn his stripes with United, besting Guardiola and getting around the Norweigian superstar will be a sure-fire way to get the Red Devils on the path to getting an unlikely result.
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