Perfectionist Ten Hag asks for grass to be cut 2mm and drinks laid out neatly
Perfectionist Erik ten Hag will leave no stone unturned as he aims to bring back Manchester United's glory days.
Ajax boss Ten Hag is set to finalise his move to the Red Devils and become the club's fifth permanent manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. The 52-year-old Dutchman has a verbal agreement in place to take charge at Old Trafford and is expected to begin his new role at the end of the season.
Ten Hag has an uphill battle to turn United's fortunes around after a dismal campaign. The Red Devils are in huge danger of missing out on Champions League football and a recent 1-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Everton highlighted the scale of the task that the incoming boss has on his hands.
But the new manager will still have an abundance of quality at his disposal and will no doubt be backed financially as he looks to put his own imprint on United's faltering squad. And ten Hag has proven in previous roles that his quest for perfection on the pitch will go down to the very smallest of details.
Former Dutch footballer Sjoerd Overgoor was managed by ten Hag during his time at Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles and revealed his immaculate standards would even affect the layout of drinks in training and the grass on the pitch being cut to the exact millimetre.
"He wanted the drinks put out in straight lines," Overgoor told Sky Sports. "Everything had to be perfect in his eyes. People needed time to get used to that. He added: "We had one man whose job it was to look after the pitch.
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"Every day Erik would be coming to him and saying that the grass had to be two millimetres or something like that. That was a big difference for everyone at the club. He changed everything.
"Remember, this is not a big club in Holland. We did not have the best facilities but he made them the best. A lot of coaches come to clubs like Eagles and have the attitude that they have to deal with it. He did not deal with it. Instead, he made it better and better."
Ten Hag will no doubt look to replicate his high standards as he approaches his biggest job yet in management. But the new boss will also have to galvanise and reshape a squad drained of confidence after another miserable season that will end with no silverware.
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