Steve McClaren fires warning to Manchester United over ‘non-negotiables’ ahead of pre-season training
Posted by  badge Boss on Jun 23, 2022 - 09:57PM
Steve McClaren [right] with Erik ten Hag ]second from left] (Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images)

assistant manager Steve McCLaren says he and Erik ten Hag will work to change the culture at Old Trafford next season by implementing a string of ‘non-negotiables’.

The former England boss will assist Ten Hag this season, having worked with the Dutchman when he was manager at FC Twente.

McClaren has experience of the Theatre of Dreams having arrived at the club as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant midway through the Treble campaign of 1999 before leaving two years later.

One of the biggest accusations aimed at the club last season was the bad attitude from the squad, whether it was under or .

McClaren says body language is an issue with modern day players but that the culture of the club must be changed if United are to get results, with the former Wolfsburg boss warning anyone that doesn’t comply could leave the club.

Ten Hag wants to change the culture at Old Trafford (Photo by Yannick Verhoeven/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

‘These are the things that we need to do, things like we all need to connect with each other.’ McClaren explained to his son on their .

‘Games are won Monday to Friday, if you get Monday to Friday right, games are won on Saturday. Each and everyone has to bring energy.

McClaren cited the example of Mauricio Pochettino as proof that weeding out non-compliant players can help to create a strong culture at a club.

‘Pochettino talks about creating the culture, if no one brought energy he got them out [at Tottenham], they had to bring some kind of energy to the group,’ said McCLaren.

‘You have to be ready, have to be ready to train, you have to be ready to play, ready to impact as a sub, you have to react,’ he said.

‘A lot of people now, body language arms up in the air, you’ve got to react to get that ball back, win that ball back, whatever situation, react quick don’t think about it.

‘When I first went to Manchester United there was hardly any rules but what they did; they did the right things and if they didn’t do the right things they owned it and they suffered the consequences and accepted the consequences.

‘And I think if you’ve got those non-negotiables around that then you can’t go wrong.’

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