Louis Saha gives verdict on Erik ten Hag dropping Man Utd star for being late

Louis Saha has praised Erik ten Hag for dropping a Manchester United star for being late to team meetings during their pre-season tour.

Having seen United stagnate for a number of years, Ten Hag vowed to change the culture at Old Trafford following his move from Ajax earlier in the summer.

The Dutchman has introduced a number of new rules to the United squad, one of which is that players late for training and meetings will be dropped, regardless of their status in the team.

Ten Hag did not have to wait long to use this particular measure as he dropped an unnamed Manchester United player during the club’s recent tour to Australia after they twice turned up late to team meetings.

The decision appears to epitomise Ten Hag’s strict but fair approach and Saha has praised the Red Devils boss for ‘laying down the law’ to his underperforming squad ahead of the new season.

‘That’s completely fair – when the rules are in place you have to follow them,’ Saha told Metro.co.uk, courtesy of Bet365.

‘Especially at this moment in time where it’s so important to recalibrate the philosophy and attitude of the squad, so it has to be done as a military camp.

‘So if it’s happened twice, it warrants the action so the other players can see this manager doesn’t mess around.

‘You have to set expectations and when opportunities present themselves to set standards, it’s right the manager should use the tools at his disposal to lay down the law.

‘They are ultimately workers, employees. As a manager you do everything to make sure they are in line. You wouldn’t accept anyone else turning up to work late in any other industry so it’s completely fair.’

Ten Hag enjoyed five successful seasons at Ajax before deciding to leave Holland and join Premier League giants Manchester United.

United have struggled in recent years but excited fans in pre-season with emphatic victories over Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace.

‘I think right now he’s not made many mistakes,’ Saha said on the start of the Ten Hag era. ‘His communication, maybe some people will dislike it, but they’re not in his position and you can’t please everybody.

‘The players seem to respond really well to his training, the toughness is back, there’s a new atmosphere that’s one of focus and to work hard.

‘This is what we want to see as Man United fans. We want to see commitment, energy, passion and creativity.

‘The project itself is a long term one, pre-season has gone well but it’s nothing. What we want to see is how these players react under the massive pressure of the Premier League.’

Manchester United face Atletico Madrid in their final pre-season friendly this weekend before beginning the 2022-23 Premier League campaign against Brighton on August 7.

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