Andy van der Meyde claimed Erik ten Hag was already destined for great things when they met at FC Twente.
When playing for the Eredivisie side in 1999, the former winger spent time with Manchester United’s incoming manager. Van der Meyde, affectionately known as ‘Shandy Andy’By Everton Fans love his passion for partying. He was only 19 years old when he joined Ajax on loan. He was able to see enough of the coach that he knew he would soon find himself in the dugout at a top club.
Indeed, although Fred Rutten was then Twente’s manager, Ten Hag was already showing his worth as a leader. Van der Meyde, 42,SunSport: “Erik is from the east of Holland — very down-to-earth. He’s kind, straight, and honest — but he can also be aggressive. He wants to win and make the team better. I played at Twente when I was 19 after I had joined on loan from Ajax. He was approximately 30.
“At half-time he was always talking, saying, ‘We should do it like this, we should do it like that’. He was the one that talked with the manager to determine if it was better this way or the other. “Already, as a player, he was busy coaching the team.”
The former Everton star also said that Ten Hag, 52, will want to deploy an attractive brand of football in England. He added: “Erik doesn’t want to play bad football. He’s offensive-minded, he sets his teams up to attack. For that I’d compare him to Peter Bosz and Ronald Koeman.”
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Ten Hag could be looking to give the squad a major overhaul ahead of the new season. United are currently at their lowest Premier League points total in history, with only 62 points.
It is possible that United is looking to revamp their organization or recruit a few more players. Justin Timber is one of the players United have in their sights.
The Mirror Ten Hag has expressed his desire to bring Timber along to Old Trafford, and talks have already begun between the two clubs. The 20-year-old was huge in getting Ajax over the line for Ten Hag’s third Dutch title this season.
