In extra time there was a lot of interest for Manchester United. Not only because of the city derby victory over City, but also because of the sudden transfer of Woot Wighurst. “His transfer could be compared to Luuk de Jong’s transfer to Barcelona. Then everyone laughed about it,” says Philip Goos.
Manchester United is experiencing a renaissance under the leadership of Erik ten Hag. In the derby against city rivals, United came out on top thanks to a stunning conversion.
Bruno Fernandes and his teammates are now in fourth place, 9 points behind leaders Arsenal and one point behind second-ranked City.
A key figure in United’s rise? Dutch coach Eric Ten Hag.
“I always thought his very little knowledge of English would play tricks on him in an average competition like the Premier League,” says Philip Gosse.
“But that’s not true. Certainly not if you bring in a team from Deep Misery.”
Ten Hag strength? If you don’t do what he asks, you will end up on the couch. Whether you are a top player or not.
Arnar Vidarsson and Youri Mulder have both worked with Ten Hag at Twente. “He’s not a gentleman,” Fedarson says.
“Ten Hag was my assistant coach at Twente. He was tough and that’s the only way to lead a team like Manchester United. They are all stars. But if they don’t do what Ten Hag asks, they won’t play.”
Mulder also describes Ten Hag’s toughness as being of the highest quality. “When you hit the wrong ball in practice, you always heard that annoying Tin Hag. The players sometimes got annoyed by that.”
But Fred Rutten, the head coach, said, “I’d rather have an assistant say that than an assistant let it go.” “
“That’s the strength of Ten Hag: whether you’re a top player or not, if you’re late – like Rashford – you’re on the bench.”
“Wighurst is the kind of player United need”
There was also talk of Dutch striker Wout Weghorst moving to United in extra time.
“Going from Weghorst to United can be compared to that from Luuk de Jong to Barcelona,” says Joos.
“Everyone laughed at the time. But when de Jong left Camp Nou, Barcelona thought it was a pity.”
“There’s been a lot of development at Manchester United,” says Vandenbempt. “In recent years they’ve been buying names and stars, but now they’re getting the players they need in their selection.”
And Weghorst is such a player. “Out of all the tackles in the major leagues, Weghorst has the most defensive action and defensive ball recovery to his name,” says Joos.
“United didn’t have that kind of player yet,” Fedarson says. “Sometimes you play games where you need someone like Weghorst.”
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