Manchester United have made coaching additions around Erik ten Hag this summer and one club is really feeling the effects.
Erik ten Hag kept his job as Manchester United boss but one thing was clear – a repeat of last season simply would not be tolerated.
United have not only backed Ten Hag with new signings this summer but also changed the coaching team around him.
United brought in Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake whilst Benni McCarthy and Mitchell van der Gaag moved on.
Steve McClaren has become Jamaica boss and Jelle ten Rouwelaar is United’s new goalkeeping coach after replacing Richard Hartis.
United have looked to freshen things up on and off the pitch with one deal seemingly sending another club into a tailspin.
Lillestrom struggling after Andreas Georgson exit
United pounced to land something of a coup by bringing in Andreas Georgson from Lillestrom.
Georgson has arrived as a coach and has a major background in terms of set-piece speciality.
Georgson emerged in the Malmo coaching setup before heading to Brentford and Arsenal.
The Swede retured to Malmo in an upstairs role before becoming caretaker boss in 2022, only to end up back in England with Southampton.
Lillestrom appointed Georgson as their new boss in 2024, meaning he had pretty much done it all – director, coach, set-piece specialist, caretaker manager and full-time manager.
That is quite the background but Lillestrom were left stunned when Georgson quit his post as manager to become a coach at United.
Lillestrom sporting director Simon Mesfin suggested that his exit was ‘difficult’ but would not prompt a crisis at the club.
“It’s always tough and difficult,” said Mesfin. “But it’s especially very sad when you have a head coach that both the players and the support staff have become very fond of. He was well liked at the club and worked well with those he was supposed to work with. We saw a good future with him and then it is very annoying that this is happening.”
“There is no crisis atmosphere in the club now, but we take it very seriously that we have to find out the way forward. We want to put a permanent solution in place as soon as possible. But putting a time perspective on it is difficult,” he added.
Well, those comments haven’t particularly aged well.
Lillestrom were hammered 4-0 at Rosenborg on Wednesday with Dagavisen suggesting that the club are now ‘in free fall’ and ‘dangerously close’ to the relegation zone.
Since Georgson joined United in July, Lillestrom have picked up just one point from five matches, losing four whilst conceding 12 goals in the process.
For comparison, Lillestrom had won three in the previous four league games with Georgson at the helm.
Interim boss Robin Asterhed is struggling and with VG claiming Lillestrom are now in ‘crisis’, it looks like Georgson is being sorely missed.
- READ MORE: Manchester United confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2024/25
Managerial experience around Ten Hag
Ten Hag had plenty of managerial experience around him last season.
Van der Gaag, McCarthy and McClaren had been managers in their own right elsewhere but United actually snatched managers away from clubs just to work around Ten Hag.
Hake quit his post as Go Ahead Eagles whilst Georgson traded the Lillestrom hot seat to support Ten Hag.
Add in that Van Nistelrooy snubbed the chance to become Burnley boss and United have done great work adding coaches with recent managerial experience around Ten Hag.
This will hopefully help United move forward and give Ten Hag a little more stability after a difficult campaign last season.
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