What Manchester United stars should expect from Manchester United assistant manager
Manchester United assistant manager Mitchell van der Gaag has previously revealed his approach to training and how hard he works his players in pre-season and beyond.
“I believe in a lot of training work,” Van der Gaag told Voetbal International about four years ago. “I’m not saying what I do is better or worse, but I believe that more training work makes you a better player. If you are physically strong, you will have more focus and sharpness.
“Of course we don’t just have training sessions of more than two hours. There are also times when we start training shorter and more intensively. I believe that more training work makes you a better player.
“If you are physically strong, you will have more focus and sharpness. I notice that the boys who have been here for a while sometimes need to be stimulated. Sometimes they ask for that themselves. In terms of duration, it may seem long, but it is also a matter of getting used to. You can see that the players who were there last season are now used to it.
“But new players still have trouble with the training work. I know that football fitness training is sometimes harder than the game. Opinions are divided on this, there are also specialists who think that this competition should be the peak in labour, but I happen to believe in this approach. I think that makes you better. I think the players are the best judge of it.”
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag and his assistant Van der Gaag have both expressed that fitness training is a priority.
Ten Hag wants United to be a pressing side and building higher fitness levels will be key to that.
Manchester United players should be prepared for a long summer with a brutal schedule, but the group should reap the rewards of that work next season.