Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has said that for his players to succeed at the club, they must be willing to “suffer.”
Ten Hag’s season got off to a shaky start when he became the first United manager to lose both of his first two matches in charge in 101 years.
The players’ conduct, particularly during the humiliating loss to Brentford, came in for harsh criticism, and it appeared at that point that Ten Hag might have taken on too much in his attempt to bring back United’s heyday.
However, the group unexpectedly displayed much more against Liverpool on Monday night, recording a crucial season-opening victory. Every day, Ten Hag demands that level of dedication.
“What I demand is that players bring the top spirit every day. Every day, they have to bring it to the club,” he said, via ManUtd.com.
“It has to be a way of life and I hope they understand. It’s only working – high performance, high level – if you have that spirit and have that focus. If you accept that you have to hurt yourself, you have to suffer, to finally get the best level out of you.”