The English Premier League has praised Manchester United’s 52-year-old head coach Erik Ten Hag for making his squad the most competitive in the league in September.
Mr. Eric is the second Manchester United boss to receive the accolade after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in January 2019 as the Dutchman defeated Tottenham’s Antonio Conte and Bournemouth’s interim manager, Gary O’Neil.
Apart from Erik’s accolade, one of his pupils, Marcus Rashford, a key player in the United’s squad, also received the ‘Player of the Month’ award from the Premier League for his outstanding performance last month.
Why did Erik Ten Hag and Rashford receive prestigious awards from the league authorities?
After losing consecutive matches at the very beginning of the campaign, the Dutch manager Erik Ten Hag finally managed to get his United team on the right track last month by comfortably beating giant teams like Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League.
The former Ajax manager implemented his footballing philosophy properly by nurturing young, talented, and prospective players more than using experienced players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Harry Maguire.
As a result, Ten Hag, Pep Guardiola’s former assistant at Bayern Munich, was honored by the EPL with the ‘Manager of the Month’ trophy for his extraordinary leadership, dedication, and performance. Upon winning the trophy, he said, ‘We want to win every game, so the aim on Sunday is nothing else; we are convinced of our capabilities. If we act as a team, in and out of possession, we can beat opponents.’
His decision to shift Marcus Rashford into a more vital attacking role has contributed significantly to United’s turnaround. In order to spur United’s comeback against Arsenal, the Englishman scored twice. Although he got injured during the most recent international break and was unable to participate, managed to assist Anthony’s opening goal in United’s 3-1 triumph against Arsenal at home and set up Jadon Sancho for the game-winning goal against Leicester in the Premier League.
After back-to-back losses to Brighton and Brentford had put the Dutchman in trouble and left his new club spiraling to the foot of the standings, Ten Hag was facing hazardous situations at his new club on and off the field. Despite Carrington’s leaden skies, the future appears much more promising right now at the Old Trafford.
Thanks to the Dutchman’s positive transformation tactics, which were unseen since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, United supporters are hopeful that their club will return to its former glory in the Champions League next season.
