Erik ten Hag strode purposefully through the double doors protecting the sanctity of the dressing room and tunnel area at the Lerkendal Stadion and into a bustling mixed zone dominated by Norwegian journalists and TV crews.
He strode over to the three British journalists who had made the trip to the north of Norway to watch Manchester United’s opening pre-season friendly of the summer, shook our hands and exchanged the briefest of small talk. He had had a good summer, he said. Everyone knows where he holidayed, that’s for sure. He was still in Ibiza when he found out his job was safe.
In truth, small talk has rarely been Ten Hag’s thing. The mind goes back to his first sit-down with the written journalists covering United’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia in 2022. In an attempt to put him at ease, we planned to ask the golf enthusiast if he caught the end of The Open the previous evening. “Not that much,” came the reply.
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It feels like it’s all business with Ten Hag, which is no bad thing, so we got straight into it again in Norway, but not before he asked the local journalists not to record the conversation. He made it clear this was for the three of us who had followed United out here, a gesture always appreciated in friendlies that come with no contractual obligations from a media perspective.
In truth, getting to speak to Ten Hag was going to be more important for us than the game. It was a young, low-key squad and a forgettable fixture. When the manager came out to speak we breathed a sigh of relief. The presence of a backpack revealed this was his final act of the night.
Over the next seven-and-a-half minutes a range of topics were discussed, although not necessarily in that much depth. As Ten Hag’s first public media appearance since surviving as manager, this was a noteworthy moment, but also not the environment to go into detail, with the engine of the coach ticking over just outside and a private jet waiting on the tarmac at Vaernes Airport 20 miles away.
Ten Hag’s first act was to recouch the criticism he had delivered to MUTV post-match, including himself in those responsible, although there was again a hint that he might not be happy about the physical conditioning of some members of the squad.
Primarily, this was Ten Hag again defensive of his record. When asked if this felt like a fresh start, his immediate response was to point to the two trophies in two seasons, a record only Manchester City can surpass, as he pointed out. To the final question, as to whether fans can be confident this campaign won’t be like last season, Ten Hag’s first words in reply were “but we won a trophy”.
There was an acceptance it was a “complicated season” and an understanding that ambitions must be higher, but in what feels like a new era Ten Hag is still happy to point to old records. He has the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup on his CV at Old Trafford and he isn’t going to let anyone forget it.
He was positive about the new structure at the club, although pointed out that his working relationship with sporting director Dan Ashworth is only just over a week old. Still, Ten Hag clearly feels Ineos have delivered new energy to the place and that could be beneficial moving forward. It did feel telling that he stressed the new structure couldn’t fix all the club’s problems in such a short space of time. Don’t expect miracles, in other words.
The tensest things got was when the subject of Jadon Sancho was brought up. A truce has been called, but nobody at United has confirmed whether Sancho actually apologised or not during his talks with Ten Hag. When the winger’s name was raised the manager didn’t exude warmth.
Two questions about the £73m man elicited just 35 words in response and the phrase “we draw the line” was uttered three times. That stock phrase was repeated when it was put that it was now up to Sancho to take the opportunity of a fresh start. You didn’t leave with the impression that the two were going to forge a long and happy relationship from this point on.
Ten Hag’s relationship with United endures, however. There was a final handshake, a thanks for taking the time to stop, and he was gone. The first signpost of a new start and the chance to remind people of old triumphs.