Erik ten Hag’s former Manchester United assistant manager, has explained what the club’s players used to say to him during his time at the Red Devils – and it may surprise you.
Rene Hake, 52, was Ten Hag’s assistant, having taken up the role in July 2024.
However, he left his position as assistant when Ruben Amorim took charge of the side on November 11, 2024.
His ‘vision’ has previously been compared with Ten Hag’s style of defensive structures, with both men learning their trade at FC Twente’s academy.
They are also both advocates of ‘total football’ with equal emphasis on both attacking and defensive play, with each player required to contribute.
Arguably, this never really transferred to their time at Old Trafford.
Particularly during the latter stage of Ten Hag’s reign, United’s midfield was regularly easily played through by the opposition, which allowed them several shots on goal.
Now, Hake has opened up about his short time at the Premier League club.
He conceded that although some players were happy to take his advice and instructions on board, others were less open to change.
“[Marcus] Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were quickly open to working on their timing with deep runs,” he told Dutch outlet AD.
“With Bruno Fernandes, it was often about positioning during our build-up play.
“Sometimes, a player will say: ‘At this moment, I’d rather not change anything about my game’.That’s okay—you accept that too.”
Casemiro was praised by the former United assistant, who was impressed by his “football intelligence”.
“It comes down to football intelligence,” he added.
“Seeing solutions. The ability to learn. But it’s also in the mental aspect—wanting to execute something well and continuing to execute it well, even on the 36th attempt.
“With Casemiro, I sometimes thought: he senses things. When it really matters, he has an antenna—he already feels what’s going to happen on the field.”
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