Erik ten Hag has told Manchester United what to do on and off the pitch

In Erik ten Hag's first sit-down interview with the written press as Manchester United manager there were several moments when you realised that this Dutch boss with a relatively low-key CV was more than ready for life in the Old Trafford melting pot.

Ten Hag has taken Ajax to success in the Eredivisie, but his five years in Amsterdam are his only experience with a club even approaching Europe's elite and as Louis van Gaal has probably told him, the two clubs are actually incomparable in terms of stature and attention.

Beyond that, the 52-year-old has managed Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich II and Utrecht. It's a career on the rise and Ten Hag, who gave the impression his intensity levels are never dialled down during a nearly 25-minute chat at United's training base in Melbourne, is in no doubt he's ready for the next step.

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"I must say I have a strong belief. This is a big challenge but until now everywhere I’ve been I’ve got the maximum out of my teams," he said when asked why he would be different to David Moyes, Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

There have been times when journalists have come away from chats with some of those former bosses thinking they had it sussed too. Ralf Rangnick could talk the talk in his introductory press conference last December. He found the walking a lot harder.

But with Ten Hag you got the impression this wasn't an act, this was just him. There were no cameras on in the press theatre room at AAMI Park, but he still spoke with a focus and an intensity that gave a tiny insight into what it might be like to be on the training ground with him.

He doesn't sugarcoat answers and he gives the impression he couldn't care less who is