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Ten Hag stated that players from his generation had a much thicker skin than modern start do and that it was possible for managers back in the day to have honest and direct conversations with the players.
Erik Ten Hag. (X)
Former Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag, who was sacked by the Premier League side back in October 2024 opined that there is a huge difference between the mentality of modern-day players and stars from yesteryear in terms of reacting to criticism.
The 55-year-old Dutchman had to struggle with handling players with attitude issues as Cristiano Ronaldo openly criticised the manager back during their time together at United, while Jadon Sancho too to social media to defend himself after Ten Hag had dropped him due to underperformance in training.
In his first interview since parting ways with Manchester United, Ten Hag stated that players from his generation had a much thicker skin than modern start do and that it was possible for managers back in the day to have honest and direct conversations with the players.
“This generation usually find it difficult to deal with criticism. Criticism really gets to them,” the Dutchman said.
“The generation that I grew up in had much thicker skin. You could be much more direct with that generation. I was approached much more directly. If I would do that with my current group of players, I would demotivate them,” said the former Ajax coach.
United have failed to clinch the coveted PL title since the departure of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson as the club have come up short time and again in the pursuit of replacing the Scottish icon.
“Ferguson also belonged to the previous generation. With that generation, you could be much more direct in your communication and approach,” the Dutchman said.
Ten Hag lamented the fact that modern-day managers are hamstrung by the need to communicate with the players in a mellowed-down fashion.
“With this generation, you have to convey your message in a more tactful way to get the same effect,” the 55-year-old stated.
“You have to show the player more love. Our generation found that much more difficult to do than this generation,” he added.
Despite his sacking by the Red Devils on the back of lacklustre performances and mounting pressure, Ten Hag expressed that he enjoyed his time at United in spite of all the challenges.
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