Erik ten Hag has cracked the whip on Manchester United’s preseason tour, reportedly dropping a player who was late on two occasions for team meetings.
The Dutch boss has taken the United helm this summer and is looking to implement not only a new style of football but changes to the ethos of the squad and rules designed to focus their minds.
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He has reportedly set his ‘Five Commandments’ every player will have to adhere to at the club.
Ten Hag has banned personal chefs and alcohol, warned any players late for training or meeting will be dropped, has insisted on regular body mass index checks and wants unhappy players to report directly to him rather than going through their agents.
And the punishment for the lateness rule was upheld on tour according to The Athletic, who claim an unnamed player was set to be used in a game but was instead dropped for being twice late for team meetings.
The report states that ‘Ten Hag sees tardiness as a symptom of slipping standards which if unchecked can bleed into other aspects of a footballer’s job on the pitch’.
Senior players, including Bruno Fernandes and David de Gea, have backed Ten Hag discipline having seen standards slip under Ralf Rangnick last season.
De Gea said: “I agree, we needed a better culture of football, of just thinking about football, nothing else. 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.”
Pressed on whether some teammates lost focus last season, De Gea replies: “I don’t know. In general, if you want to perform properly, you have to be more focused at the top level.”
“With a new manager, we are in a good way. For sure, he is very focused on football and what we need, and the players feel the same, so I have good feelings.
“I think many things have to change. I think we were really poor last season. We played really bad, to be honest. But we are really improving. Under the new manager, things are going really well. We are working really hard as a team, that’s the most important thing. Let’s see, go day-by-day, try to work as hard as possible and try to improve.
“He’s very intense. Everything he says is fully focused, 100 per cent. In training he brings new things, new thoughts, so we need to adapt to him. But we…
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