Erik ten Hag adds to Man Utd backroom staff with new appointments

Erik ten Hag has made some new additions to his backroom staff, hiring sports psychologists to help players deal with mental issues.

The Dutchman took over at Manchester United in the summer, succeeding interim boss Ralf Rangnick, and has been working hard to make the team his own since then, both in terms of staff and players.

As per the Daily Mail, the Dutchman has now hired multiple sports psychologists to serve as mind coaches for the players. They come from Dutch company Talent Academy Group, whom he has been working closely with since taking charge.

The psychologists will be available to meet with players at least twice a week to discuss mental issues and provide counselling to those who want it, and they have already arrived at the club – Rainier Koers, one of the hires, was present at the club’s training camp in Spain.

The appointments come shortly after Ten Hag declared that Jadon Sancho wasn’t at that training camp partly because of his mental state.

“He’s not fit enough,” the boss said. “We didn’t see him in the last games for United as he wasn’t in the right fitness state and he is now on an individual programme.

“We want him to finish that and hopefully see him back soon. We want to bring him back as quickly as possible but I can’t give a prognosis of when that will be. He was good [in pre-season] but also when the league started he played some good games like Liverpool, Leicester and Arsenal. After we got a drop of level and what happens sometimes you don’t know why or what is causing it.

“That is what we’re doing now, trying to research and now we try to get him back there. It’s a combination of physical but also mental.”

United return to competitive action on Wednesday night when they take on Burnley in the Carabao Cup fourth round.