Posted: 07:38, 12 July 2022 | Updated: 09:40, 12 July 2022
Scott McTominay has been impressed with the clarity of Erik ten Hag’s playing philosophy as the new Manchester United manager works to revive the club. The Scotland midfielder is currently on tour with United in the Far East, with United facing old rivals Liverpool in a friendly in Bangkok on Tuesday. One criticism of Ten Hag’s predecessor, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, was that the team did not have a clearly defined style of football. Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay (centre) has been impressed with the clarity of Erik ten Haag’s vision for rebuilding the club. McTominay’s United future has been in doubt as they look for another defensive midfielder, but Ten Haag appears to want him as part of his plans But McTominay, whose regular position in midfield will be under threat if United complete a deal for Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, says the players are buying into Ten Haag’s vision. “He has an idea of the way he wants to play and he executes it very, very well in terms of contact with the players,” McTominay told United Daily. “It’s the same with me [assistant coach] Mitchell [van der Gaag]. The philosophy and ideas of the playing style for us [are] clearly to see. “It’s up to us as players now to really get the message and push with everything we’ve got, all year.” New coach Ten Haag enjoyed time on the training ground with his new team in Thailand With United actively pursuing a new defensive midfielder this summer, 25-year-old McTominay has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, with Newcastle among the clubs interested. But Ten Hag have reportedly made it clear that McTominay remains central to his plans for the coming campaign as he looks to rebuild an ailing United squad into trophy contenders. With Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic having left the club this summer and negotiations for De Jong progressing at a glacial pace, Ten Haag has really been left with few options. McTominay added:[You have] this action from last year. All this energy must now be allocated to the new. United are chasing Barcelona and Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer “As the manager reiterated, we are here to work hard. We are not here to go see and see all of Thailand. “It’s time to work and it’s really time to focus for sure.” United will play Liverpool in front of a sell-out crowd at the Rajamangala Stadium before heading to Australia for three more friendlies.
