Erik ten Hag and Sir Alex Ferguson were photographed having dinner together
Erik ten Hag revealed he and Sir Alex Ferguson enjoyed a great evening after the pair were photographed enjoying a meal together in Manchester.
The Dutchman has made an impressive start to his Old Trafford reign and is on the cusp of ending a near six-year trophy drought with Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on the horizon.
United, meanwhile, have mounted an unlikely title challenge while they also remain in contention to win the FA Cup and have a more than 50/50 chance of progressing to the next round of the Europa League at the expense of Barcelona.
After a less than auspicious start to his tenure with defeats against Brighton and Brentford, Ten Hag has steadied the ship and passed a number of difficult tests with flying colours.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure was superbly handled while the way in which he handled Jadon Sancho’s personal issues before reintegrating the England international also gave an indication of his supreme man management skills.
Previous successors to Ferguson’s throne have been at times overawed by the presence of the club’s legendary former manager at matches, but Ten Hag appears at ease with the Scot and revealed he is more than happy to take advice from someone of such vast experience.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s game against Barcelona, he said: ‘It is massive. I always enjoy it, speaking with people with a lot of knowledge and experience.
Sir Alex Ferguson has been a regular presence at Manchester United’s games this season (Picture: Getty)
‘He was to share it, he wants to help and support and you feel this is his club. He is so committed. He wants us to do well. It was a great night and I’m looking forward to the next one with him.’
A measure of United’s progress could be summed up by the frustration they felt at only leaving Camp Nou with a 2-2 draw last week having turned in such an impressive display.
Asked to sum up how so much progress has been made in a relatively short space of time, Ten Hag said: ‘I think on the last month we grow a lot. I think we are playing with more confidence and tomorrow the atmosphere will be electric. We have to manage our emotions, be calm and believe.
‘The next aim is to beat teams like Barcelona. It is a real challenge and a good opportunity.”
‘I think first of all it is the confidence. Secondly, it is discipline. Tactically we know exactly how we want to play, to manage the game.
‘With a little bit more experience and the mentality of competition we have already improved a lot, and that is maybe the difference.’
