Blind backs ´control freak´ Ten Hag to succeed at Man Utd

Daley Blind has backed “control freak” Erik ten Hag to succeed at Manchester United and deliver the attacking football that the club “stands for”.

Ten Hag was in April confirmed as the successor to Ralf Rangnick, who will not take up a consultancy role at Old Trafford after taking charge of Austria.

The former Ajax coach has a sizeable rebuilding job to do after United recorded their lowest points tally in a Premier League season.

The Red Devils also failed to end a league campaign with a positive goal difference (zero in 2021-22) for the first time since the 1989-90 season (-1).

Ten Hag guided Ajax to a third Eredivisie title in four full seasons at the helm and Blind backed the 52-year-old to make a big impact at his former club.

“He’s really social,” the Ajax defender Daley told United’s official website. “I think, also in Ajax, he knows everyone at the club is important. Everyone needs to be involved to get that winning feeling, that winning mentality.

“Everyone is needed pointing in the same direction. He is aware of that and wants to keep everything close. He’s also a control freak and wants to be on top of everything. I think that’s a special quality you need to have when being that good.

“I think he is a brilliant [coach]. A manager who loves to play attacking football, what Manchester stands for.

“I think he’s a manager who knows what he wants. He knows exactly how he wants to bring it over to the team and express that and keep everyone on board, everyone in the same direction to get that winning mentality and winning trophies.”

 Erik’s pledge to