Erik ten Hag got off to a great start as Manchester United manager with a 4-0 friendly win over Liverpool in his first game in charge.
Former Man Utd midfielder Luke Chadwick was pleased with the encouraging performance from his old club, and picked out two players in particular who looked much-improved in this different tactical set-up from the new man in the dugout.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside, Chadwick singled out Jadon Sancho and Fred for praise, and fans will certainly hope that these two can end up finally fulfilling their potential under Ten Hag.
The ex-Red Devil was also encouraged by the impact Ten Hag seems to have made so quickly at the club, insisting that a performance and result like this could also be important for improving the mood at the club after a difficult few years.
“I think it was a massively important result, even if it was just a pre-season friendly,” Chadwick said. “It was against Liverpool, and in Erik ten Hag’s first game in charge of Manchester United. To get off to a positive start with a clear difference in the style of play, I think we really needed that.
“I thought in particular Fred and Sancho looked back to their best, and the young players brought a bit of exuberance to the team. The result may not mean much, but the manner of the performance was encouraging. It’s a great start for Ten Hag, and something to build on. Hopefully now we’ll see more players come in and we can see more positivity moving forward.
“I think if the result was reversed and Liverpool won 4-0 we’d be seeing lots of negativity, so I think this is a really positive result for Ten Hag. We need to see more of that, because there hasn’t been a really positive mood around the club for a long time now.
“The young players add more numbers, more options. I’m not sure any of them will start the first Premier League games, but it adds to what’s there. And that’s what the fans want to see – the history of the club is built around promoting from the academy, so it’s great to see that that production line is still there.
“I think it can add something for the older players as well – that youthful enthusiasm can rub off on the older players, and of course the youngsters can learn from the older players as well.”
MUFC have another friendly against Melbourne Victory coming up tomorrow, while they’ll also meet Premier League opponents Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in pre-season.