Emails, the human touch and more - inside Erik ten Hag's Manchester United revolution

The morning after Manchester United's final pre-season friendly with Aston Villa in Perth, an email appeared in my inbox from 'Erik ten Hag Manager'.

Initially, one thought it must be a press release promoting an app video game. But no, it was correspondence from the United manager to the dedicated correspondents who followed the team to Bangkok, Melbourne and Perth.

Ten Hag expressed his gratitude to us for attending the tour and our engagement with the players. He empathised with us for the two-and-a-half week duration we spent away from family and loved ones.

Also read: Ten Hag gave another masterclass in the Wembley press conference room

Those of us who observed Ten Hag during training sessions in Thailand and Australia and spent 25 minutes in a sit-down devoid of cameras touched down in Manchester with a higher opinion of the Dutchman.

Ten Hag's English had improved from his press conference unveiling at Old Trafford in May and he was not as gruff as his appearance that some snippets from his time with Ajax had suggested.

When a colleague asked what his equivalent of Sir Alex Ferguson's 'hairdryer' treatment was, Ten Hag pointed to his hairless head and quipped, "I don't need a hairdryer!"

Ten Hag spontaneously showcased similar wit when he forgot the League Cup in the Wembley press conference room on Sunday. “I can leave it because [of] the next one," he chortled. "This one is in.”

That humour was present during a luncheon in Cadiz five months later when eight of us spent almost two hours in his company. There was a serious topic of discussion in Cristiano Ronaldo's recent divorce from United and his baseless accusations. Ten Hag was noticeably relaxed and joked he had messaged Lisandro Martinez he would see him