Manchester United midfielder Fred has revealed Erik ten Hag’s three golden rules which all his players must abide by.
The Dutchman has flexed his muscles to keep his United players in line since he was appointed as manager of the Red Devils last year.
It was reported early this season that Ten Hag had introduced strict dress codes, fixed meal times, a mobile phone ban and rigid punishments for any wrongdoers in a bid to help make United a force in English football.
Brazilian midfielder Fred has now revealed how the Dutchman has introduced three strict rules that are placed inside United’s dressing room.
In an interview with the Times, Fred said: ‘He has put rules [up] inside the dressing room. Don’t be late, don’t do wrong things, always do what you can to help your partner – and that’s important.’
One player who felt the wrath of Ten Hag’s rules this season is England international Marcus Rashford.
Their star forward was dropped to the bench for United’s victory over Wolves on New Year’s Eve, after he admitted he slept in and missed a team meeting.
Though Rashford was brought on in the second-half and scored the only goal of the game.
Another player who was disciplined was Cristiano Ronaldo, after the now-ex United star stormed down the tunnel after refusing to come on as a very late substitute in their victory over Tottenham in October. He was dropped for United’s following match with Chelsea.
Ten Hag’s rules have helped the Red Devils who have seen an improvement in form this season.
After suffering their arguably their worst campaign in the Premier League era, United have taken a step up in performances this year and players like Rashford have seen their fortunes turn around.
There is still some way to go though, as proven by the recent 3-2 defeat to Arsenal, with United 11 points off the top of the table.
Fred is another player who has impressed this season when he has featured, even if he is no longer a regular starter at Old Trafford.
The signings of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen have relegated him to the bench, though with the latter out for three months with an injury, he will likely see more starts for the second half of the season.
So far this season, he has made 28 appearances in all competitions, though only ten have seen make the starting XI.
Speaking about Fred before their 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Nottingham Forest this week, Ten Hag said: ‘Fred has done it several times with his performances for instance against Tottenham Hotspur, for instance against Manchester City.
‘When he’s coming on in the last game [against Reading], he’s scoring a goal straight away. He has a lot of qualities. I think they are a really good combination, Casemiro and Fred.
‘He’s playing together with Casemiro in the Brazilian squad, I would say that’s not the worst squad in the world.
‘They have so many choices that they can make but they often prefer to play them together. So, that tells something about the quality Fred has and what he can contribute to the team.’