Xavi believes Erik ten Hag has “transformed the face” of Manchester United ahead of their Europa League play-off match against Barcelona.
The Spanish giants are in first place in La Liga, with Real Madrid in second place trailing by 11 points, while United is third in the Premier League and only five points behind first-placed Manchester City, who defeated league leaders Arsenal on Thursday.
United will play Newcastle in the League Cup final next week and West Ham at home in the FA Cup’s fifth round, making them the only team in Europe to play in four different tournaments simultaneously.
Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi played against United when he was 18 years old in 1998 and again in the 2008 Champions League semifinals. His performances were crucial as Barcelona defeated United in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League matches.
Ten Hag joined United from Ajax, a club with cultural ties to Barcelona thanks to the visionary Johan Cruyff, who played for and served as coach of both teams.
And the Barca head coach believes that Ten Hag has changed the face of United since joining Old Trafford last year. As reported by the Manchester Evening News, he said:
“Tomorrow is a great match. It’s a spectacular tie. Both teams arrived at the best moment of the season. Ten Hag has changed the face of the team. It’s been hard for them but they’re doing a great job.”
“He is a great coach. Reversing the situation at United was not easy. He makes variants in attack and defence, they work very well. He is an attacking coach and he shows it in almost every game. He is a reference for coaches who like this kind of football.”
“Manchester United is a great club. They are not in the best moment in their history but there are players who are in a great moment. In recent weeks, they have had good results and it will be very hard to win the game.”
Ten Hag deserves credit for forming a formidable starting XI and signing crucial players for the club. Within a year, the manager welcomed Casemiro, Antony, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, and Tyrell Malacia and also brought in Marcel Sabitzer and Wout Weghorst on loan deals.
All of these players have contributed to the team’s recent success, and let’s not forget Marcus Rashford, who has been in the best shape of his career under the Dutch boss.
United fans will be hoping that the manager can work his magic once more when his team faces a strong Barcelona side.
