Inside Erik ten Hag's extraordinary plan to get Man Utd back to the very top
Erik ten Hag is going to extraordinary lengths to take Manchester United back to the very top.
The United boss is leaving nothing to chance in his bid to resurrect the Red Devils and make them champions again for the first time in more than a decade. Ten Hag is known for his meticulous and detailed approach to management, never more so than on United's two-week tour of the US.
United have visited New Jersey, San Diego and Houston, and are now on the final leg in Las Vegas, where they play Borussia Dortmund in the early hours of tomorrow. Ten Hag has adopted a forensic approach to the tour, from choosing remote training bases to devising individual diets and nutrition plans for players.
Strict rules, including players and staff wearing the correct club attire on specific days, have been rigidly enforced, with the focus entirely on preparation for a season in which United are expected to mount a title challenge.
In previous pre-season tours, United have stayed in city centre locations, with thousands of fans camped outside their hotels, waiting for a glimpse of their heroes. But Ten Hag's choice of venues, in particular the Pingry School and Somerset Hills hotel, both in Basking Ridge, a suburb of New Jersey, ensured United were able to train and stay away from prying eyes and any intrusion.
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It was a similar case in San Diego, with the squad staying at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa, and training at the University of California San Diego, a two-minute bus trip from their base.
At the San Diego hotel, United were afforded a garden area that served as their games room, with a basketball net and table tennis table for players to use during their free time. One of the most important people on United's US tour is team chef Omar Meziane.
United have brought an additional chef to assist him, as well as two nutritionists, for their Stateside trip. One chef travels ahead of the squad to ensure the food served to them is of the highest standard ahead of their arrival at the next location.
Erik ten Hag is going to extraordinary lengths (AFP via Getty Images)United are taking an individualised approach to nutrition, with each player having their own bespoke programme to follow. Meziane, recruited from the FA, is said to be hugely popular with the players, who have noted an improvement in the quality of the food since he joined.
He started at United in January and has also worked with the England cricket team, as a consultant chef to the ECB, and travelled on a tour to Pakistan. Live cooking stations are popular with the players on tour and can be used to encourage players to eat certain foods which they need on specific days.
Local foods and cuisines are incorporated so players' diets are varied and they have the opportunity to try something from the local area. The precise details of what players eat is further evidence of Ten Hag's forensic approach to management, leaving nothing to chance.
That extends to demanding players and club staff wear the correct training kit or leisurewear on specific days, right down to the colour of their socks. Any violation of those rules is said to be frowned upon by Ten Hag, who does not allow mobile phones in the dining room and insists on players and staff eating together.
United's tour is shorter than usual for a number of reasons, primarily to give the players a break, with the Nations League having finished in mid-June. With the World Cup also in the middle of last season, Ten Hag wanted to give his players as long a break as possible, to recover physically and mentally.
Everything on the tour has to fit in around the football schedule devised by Ten Hag and his staff. The number of commercial days involving players has been cut from three to two because Ten Hag insists on prioritising football.
In the past, United would have taken advantage of locations such as New York to photograph players in iconic venues for commercial purposes, but Ten Hag has insisted training and tactics take priority.
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Only time will tell if such a detailed approach yields the success Ten Hag craves, but the Dutchman is leaving nothing to chance as he plots United's route back to the top.
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