While Noussair Mazraoui and his fellow new signings are making quite the impression on the pitch at Manchester United, the additions of Rene Hake and Ruud van Nistelrooy appear to be adding a lot of it.
There is not really an area of the Red Devils which has not been the subject to change since Sir Jim Ratcliffe got his claws in his beloved Manchester United.
A host of new faces in the boardroom, five new first-team additions, and a revamped coaching set up including Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake to make Erik ten Hag’s job just that little bit easer.
And while the results remain a little underwhelming – Man United needed ‘unbelievable’ Andre Onana to save them at Crystal Palace after wasting a host of chances – the improvements are clear to see.
Man United are no longer conceding 20-plus shots on goal every match. They appear to be controlling games better these days too, that defeat to Liverpool aside, with the press-resistant qualities of Noussair Mazraoui coming to the fore.
Noussair Mazraoui hails Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake impact at Manchester United
United are also creating goalscoring opportunities at a far more regular basis.
One of those new signings in particular – ex-England boss Fabio Capello called Joshua Zirkzee an ‘exceptional’ talent when it comes to open up spaces and linking the play – is helping massively in that regard.
Zirkzee is delighted by Matthijs de Ligt’s impact at Man United too. And then there is Mazraoui, already blossoming into one of the best bargain signings seen at Old Trafford in recent years at a paltry £13 million.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of Wednesday’s Europa League opener against FC Twente, Mazraoui opened up on his impressive start to life in English football.
The former Bayern Munich and Ajax full-back is also full of praise for the impact Van Nistelrooy and Hake have made behind the scenes.
Two coaches with experience of managing sides at a senior level – Van Nistelrooy won the Dutch Cup with PSV while Hake has over 10 years of Eredivisie experience under his belt – Ten Hag’s new assistants appear to be playing a key role in Man United’s improved defensive record.
“I knew [Van Nistelrooy and Hake] from name, but I’d never worked with them before,” Mazraoui explains, the coaching duo helping with United’s game-management, positional set up and defensive organisation.
“We speak a lot. They help the team a lot. They are also a big factor of [me] settling in easily because they speak also Dutch and know the culture and how I am as a player.
“That helps settling in better.
“We speak a lot about the game, positioning, defensive line and that helps.”
Van Nistelrooy and Hake could improve Man United both in attack and defence
Despite their goalkeeper’s brilliance against Crystal Palace – De Ligt labelled Onana Man United’s difference-maker at Southampton as he saved a penalty at 0-0 – Ten Hag’s team appear more resilient and organised than last season, even if there are still plenty of improvements to be made.
United have now kept clean sheets in three successive games for the first time since January 2023.
Van Nistelrooy, a bonafide Old Trafford legend, was tipped to impart a ruthless streak onto the club’s often misfiring attackers when returning to his old stomping ground.
Despite drawing a blank at Selhurst Park, Marcus Rashford is finding some form while Alejandro Garnacho is improving all the time. Rasmus Hojlund expects Van Nistelrooy to impact his game too.
Fellow Dutchman Hake, meanwhile, was renowned in the Netherlands for creating teams far greater than the sum of their parts.
His overachieving Go Ahead Eagles side boasted the fourth-best defensive record in the Eredivisie last term, with both Hake and Van Nistelrooy expected to bring about further improvements at both ends of the pitch over the coming months.
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