Credit: Man Utd
Erik ten Hag and Sir Dave Brailsford completely agreed about one issue at Manchester United that has clearly been ignored heading into the summer.
Manchester United decided to sack Erik ten Hag earlier this season and replace him with Ruben Amorim, who has had a challenging first six months at Old Trafford to say the least.
Amorim became the first head coach of the INEOS era after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s leadership team decided to make the change from the old manager in October 2024.
Many changes are needed at the club and this summer is going to be crucial for the team heading towards next season, with many games to play over this period as well.
United play two post-season friendlies in the Far East this week. They will then travel to Sweden in July to play Leeds United before making their way back to the United States to take part in the Premier League Summer Series with West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton.
The Reds then finish off their pre-season back at Old Trafford with a game against Fiorentina, with David de Gea set to return to his former club for the first time since his departure.
Ten Hag and Brailsford agreed about key issue United have ignored
United have had issues in their recent pre-season tours of the United States. They have travelled there for the last two summers and had two major injuries come from both trips.
In 2023, it was Amad and Kobbie Mainoo who both suffered injury problems which kept them out of the opening months of the season, while last year saw Leny Yoro and Rasmus Højlund ruled out for some time.
When INEOS took charge of the club, there was a lot made of the ‘Marginal Gains’ approach from Sir Dave Brailsford, who is on the board at Old Trafford.
According to a report from The Athletic, Brailsford had agreed with then-manager Ten Hag that it would be better from a sporting perspective if United’s pre-seasons were to be held closer to home.
In a robust debate after the injury issues from the prior two years, there was serious thought given to keeping pre-season friendlies in Europe, rather than travelling across to different continents. United players had even complained about the travelling.
But, as we know, that has not occurred and the report adds that ‘commercial necessity kicked in’ for the Reds, who are counting their cash carefully after years of poor spending.
United set to earn £8m from Asia trip
Not only are United returning to the States for a third summer in a row, but they’ve also managed to squeeze in a post-season tour to Asia – they are visiting two continents rather than one this summer.
With games in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong over the next week, United are expected to earn over £8 million from the trip, which is exactly why they are doing it.
“I was consulted,” Amorim explained to journalists about the visit to the Far East. “We cannot say nothing after this season, so we need to help the club because the club wins some more money.
“We are going to connect with our fans around the world and that is important, especially when we lose and we disappoint our supporters during this tough season.
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“So, I think it is the least we can do. And we are going to take all the team, the young kids also, and we’ll have the staff there. We had a lot of changes in the staff so we’re trying to build something as a family. I think it is also a good thing.”
The pre-season preparations were flagged as a potential issue by both Ten Hag and Brailsford, but the club ultimately decided the revenue generated is worth taking the risk.
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