Although Erik ten Hag has been under pressure at Manchester United for nearly a year, he welcomes the odd amount of criticism.

Ten Hag has faced a great lot of criticism, and rumours about his future in football began to circulate around the end of the previous campaign. The 54-year-old disclosed some of it is “very good advice” as he discussed how he handled that during his pre-match press conference before playing Tottenham.

“Thanks,” a front-row reporter who had previously engaged in a couple light-hearted conversations with Ten Hag shot back. Ten Hag shot back, “Not from you,” before his thunderous laughter erupted throughout the space. Any suspense that might have existed was definitely destroyed.

It also appeared in an answer that was quite perceptive. Ten Hag has previously begged for tolerance from his inexperienced team, but in reality, it is he who requires tolerance. The manager is under constant scrutiny whenever this team makes a mistake, yet he welcomes the criticism rather than running from it.

“To start with, take the criticism seriously. You can have an opinion regarding football, as there are many. You have to deal with this as part of your work,” he stated. But I’m unable to consider every critique. Naturally, I don’t read every critique—that would be impossible. I’d rather not even be informed. Some are extremely helpful tips, and I need to know some.

“It’s best to remain clinical and assess the team’s performance to determine where we need to make improvements. Continue to be systematic in ensuring that you lead the team along the correct road and take the appropriate actions to bring out the best in the group.”