Erik ten Hag outlines his three personal Manchester United targets

Erik ten Hag has taken to Manchester United like a duck to water – after an initial first couple of wobbly steps, he has transformed the club entirely.

Erik ten Hag‘s Manchester United are the only team in England still left in all four competitions, sitting third in the Premier League and due to play Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final in 12 days.

They also recently advanced themselves to the fifth round of the FA Cup after a 3-1 win over Reading. However, only one thought is on the mind of the club at the moment, and that’s a Europa League knock-out play-off tie against Barcelona.

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Speaking to UEFA.com at the Elite Coaches Forum at UEFA Headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, he discussed his first season so far in Manchester, where he stressed that his tenure at United is a long-term project.

“I’m fine and I’m happy there. I was looking for a new challenge and Manchester United was a big club, but obviously less successful (in the) last couple of years, so there’s huge talent to restore that big club (to) where they belong,” Ten Hag said.

His first target, he explained, is for him to change the culture – something he has done well so far. There seems to be a growing air of regaining a winning mentality, which has been aided by the purchases of players such as Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro.

“It’s not only about training the team. It’s about changing the culture, getting a winning culture, and that’s what I aim for, but when I say ‘I’, no: ‘We’,” Ten Hag continued. “We have to do it together. Manchester United is a great club, (there are) big fans all over the world, it’s a very global club. I’m really happy to be there, to be part of it. We want to be successful, but it’s got to be long term.”

The second target, he said, is that he wants to challenge himself. Ten Hag has spoken previously about how complacency leads to laziness, and he has ambitions to take Manchester United right to the top of European and world football.

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“Every day, I expect the best from myself. I want to challenge myself. And, together with my coaches, I want to get the best out of the players. We want to create a good team but I also want to maximise the performances of the players.”

Finally, this third target is to make sure he has some downtime when he can – explaining that he likes jogging, golf, and going on holiday.

“We work 24/7, that’s clear, because you never get rid of football. You never get rid of your team, but you also need to step back at times. I like to jog or bike or to play golf. Or to go to restaurants or the cinema. I also like to go on holiday.

“Of course, I don’t have a lot of time for it. I like to go to Switzerland or Austria and, when the weather’s nice, Italy or Spain. But football is always in your head. It’s in your mind. You work with it all the time.”

Manchester United will face Barcelona on Thursday evening, with two players suspended for the tie due to yellow card accumulation. United will, however, be able to welcome Casemiro back to the XI.

Barcelona themselves are struggling with a few injuries, but are sitting pretty at the top of the La Liga table.