Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has impressed the players, says Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw says everyone is enjoying working with Erik ten Hag and buying into the new manager’s approach as Manchester United prepare to kick off a season they are desperate to end with silverware.

This time last year there was hope and expectation around Old Trafford after some eye-catching acquisitions followed second place finishes in both the Premier League and Europa League.

But manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was out the door by November and interim successor Ralf Rangnick floundered, with United slumping home sixth in a humiliating end to a forgettable season.

The 4-0 loss at Brighton in the penultimate match underlined everything that was wrong at United, who kick off the new campaign against Graham Potter’s Seagulls at Old Trafford.

Sunday’s encounter will be meticulous former Ajax boss Ten Hag’s first competitive match in charge after an intense pre-season that long-serving left-back Shaw is feeling the benefits of.

“I think definitely for the team we’re moving in the right direction,” the United defender told MUTV.

“The manager obviously had to come in and bring in his ideas, his structure, what he wants from the team – as a team and also individuals.

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo during the friendly against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford on Sunday, July 31, 2022. Reuters

“I think everyone’s sort of buying into that and really enjoyed pre-season.

“Like I said, we’ve definitely moved in the right direction but we’ve also got a lot to improve on. We know that, we know we need to get better.”

Ten Hag has impressed since taking over and the club are pushing to bolster his squad as United look to end their relative trophy drought.

The 2017 Europa League is their last piece of silverware and Shaw has that in