Arsenal legend Thierry Henry made a surprising admission about Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag after the Red Devils were defeated by a scoreline of 3-2 by the Gunners.
Despite United’s defeat, Henry has been impressed with the progress that the Red Devils have made in the last six months. The Frenchman said he even recommended Barcelona president Joan Laporta to appoint ‘genius’ Ten Hag after Ronald Koeman’s dismissal.
Speaking on CBS Sports, Henry said (via The Boot Room):
“I am happy that Arsenal won and they deserved to win after the performance in the second half but boy, Manchester United look different under Ten Hag. I will be honest, I am a big fan of Ten Hag. He is the coach I recommended to Laporta at Barcelona after Ronald Koeman was sacked. He is a genius.”
Henry further went on to add that if Erik ten Hag manages to find his feet at Old Trafford, United will play more attractive football than they did under Sir Alex Ferguson. He further said:
“Today, we saw a team with three years development vs a team with six months. Also, a team with a full week of rest against a team with two days rest, and still Manchester United went toe to toe, which was surprising. I thought Arsenal would be all over United from kick-off and United’s players would sit back. I was wrong.”
“United in fact had better control in the first half. You give Ten Hag one more year and back him in the market, then United will be a force to reckon with. No disrespect to Sir Alex, but if Ten Hag gets it right at United, they will play more attractive football than under Alex Ferguson.”
The game against Arsenal was Erik ten Hag’s 30th in charge of Manchester United
Erik ten Hag has now taken charge of Manchester United for 30 games since arriving at the club from Ajax. He has won 21, drawn three, and lost six of those games.
Despite having a rough start to life at Old Trafford, losing both of his opening matches, the Dutchman has turned the tide in his team’s favor. While United are winless in their previous two league games, their style of football has garnered praise.