Donny van de Beek's former agent has ruthlessly exposed what Manchester United training ground culture was like

Erik ten Hag impressed Manchester United's football director John Murtough during interviews to become Manchester United manager earlier this year. Murtough was sold on the appointment of Ten Hag, but the Dutchman had questions of his own.

Murtough did his due diligence and he liked what he discovered. Ten Hag was considered the ideal manager to take United forward, someone who aligned with the club's values, but it would have been foolish and naive to think he didn't do his own investigating as the leading candidate. Ten Hag might have been shocked at what he discovered when undertaking that personal investigation.

Through WhatsApp messages and speaking to connections in the industry, Ten Hag would have been aware of the enormity of the challenge at Old Trafford. United had just endured their worst season for decades and a manager with a CV which reads Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich II, Utrecht and Ajax would not usually be equipped for accepting a daunting job of such magnitude.

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It has been fortunate for everyone involved that Ten Hag does not seem like an ordinary manager. The record of managers coaching in the Premier League after working in the Eredivisie is hardly inspiring, but Ten Hag has made a strong start to his premiership after overcoming two humiliating defeats against Brighton and Brentford, which could have derailed his tenure at the beginning.

Crystal Palace infamously appointed Frank de Boer in the summer of 2017 - who had spent six successful years with Ajax - only to sack the Dutchman after five games in charge. Ten Hag could have met the same fate if he hadn't managed to stop the rot.

United responded to the Brentford