Erik ten Hag orders grass measurements at Manchester United training ground

New Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has made special arrangements to make his side a dominant side in Premier League next season, with specific plans put in place to achieve that.

The former Ajax boss wants his side to pass the ball better and has reportedly asked his training ground staff to install a certain grass height in their training ground to encourage his players to practice slick passing during the first week of pre-season.

The Red Devils will return to training on June 27 ahead of a series of pre-season friendlies pencilled down for the summer. After a poor ending to their season last time, the Old Trafford boss is looking to get his side firing early to give them a chance of closing the gap between them and fierce rivals Liverpool and Manchester City

According to the Mirror, Ten Hag, who wants his side to prioritise on-ball drills during the opening sessions, has reportedly told his staff to trim the grass to exactly 15mm, so that the players can quickly get up to speed with his passing demands. 

The former Ajax coach will access the overall fitness of his players during the first two days of training but plans to test their stamina with passing drills rather than fitness exercises, according to the report.

Ten Hag has also adopted a Sir Alex Ferguson-style approach to socialising and eating as he has insisted that the squad must eat together and socialise after training. This is targeted at fostering a positive team spirit in the Red Devils’ dressing room, a culture that was present at Old Trafford during Ferguson’s 26-year stay at the club. 

Since the Scotsman left, players have become accustomed to eating in the staff restaurant when they please, with some even heading home or to the gym directly after training.

Man United begin its pre-season tour to Australia and Southeast Asia in July.

The Red Devils will face rivals Liverpool in Bangkok first and then travel to Melbourne to play Crystal Palace before ending the tour against Aston Villa in Perth.