Erik ten Hag lifts lid on Vincent Kompany connection ahead of Burnley vs Manchester United

Erik ten Hag has only faced Burnley once during his Manchester United tenure but the Dutchman is well-versed in coming up against their manager, Vincent Kompany.

Ten Hag will take his United side to Turf Moor on Saturday evening in a bid to kickstart their season, following three consecutive defeats across all competitions. On Wednesday evening, the Reds began their Champions League campaign with a 4-3 defeat at Bayern Munich.

Losses at Arsenal and Brighton either side of the international break have left United on the brink of crisis, with the need to come away from Turf Moor with three points growing. Kompany's Burnley present a fresh challenge for most Premier League teams this season, but Ten Hag has faced the young manager in the past.

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“Yeah, but also in my period in Ajax," Ten Hag told MUTV. "We played actually, every year, a friendly against him so we know each other quite well.

"So it was impressive what he has done with Burnley and to get promoted from the Championship. But not only that you get promoted, that is already a huge achievement in the Championship, but also the way they did it. Really impressive and I am really happy for him and also for Burnley to be back in the Premier League.”

United got a taste of Kompany's Burnley side when they beat them 2-0 in the Carabao Cup fourth round in December. It is a vastly different team from the one that spent several seasons in the top flight under Sean Dyche before being relegated with Mark Jackson.

The Clarets are yet to pick up a win this season but will hope to take advantage of a fervent home crowd and a vulnerable