“He is obsessed…” Man Utd star reveals Erik ten Hag's unusual preparation ahead of Newcastle clash

Manchester United left-back Tyrell Malacia has revealed Erik ten Hag's fascinating preparation for the EFL Cup final.

The Red Devils travel to Wembley to face Newcastle in the hope of ending their drought of six years without a trophy.

Ten Hag is aiming to deliver his first piece of silverware, just ten months since succeeding Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford.

And Malacia has detailed the Dutchman's tireless preparation for matches, lifting the lid on his close attention to detail and desire for perfection.

Malacia reveals Ten Hag's habit

The defender discussed the United boss' fascinating post-match habit, in which he returns to the office immediately to re-watch matches.

Malacia said of his compatriot: “When we have an away match, no matter how many hours it takes to come back to Manchester and we arrive in the middle of the night, everyone goes straight home. Everyone, that is, apart from the manager.

“The gaffer often goes to his office at the club to see the videos of the match we have just played so he can prepare and have his analysis ready for us the next morning at the training ground. Erik ten Hag is so obsessed with the job of manager. He absolutely loves the game.

“He is always working, from morning till night. Every player at United will tell you that every part of our game is detailed by our manager. It is all spot-on - and this is how he is developing the team every single day.”

There is no question that United are in a rich vein of form at present, having beaten La Liga giants Barcelona 2-1 in the Europa League on Thursday to secure a place the quarter-finals.

Ten Hag has been lauded a genius for the victory, making a key substitution at half-time which saw Antony come on and score the winning goal.

As a result, the master tactician has been credited with an incredible statistic.

Antony's left-footed strike was the 19th goal scored by a substitute for Manchester United this season.

That is the most out of any team in Europe's top 5 leagues, indicating Ten Hag's bravery and quick thinking during games.

Topics: Tyrell Malacia, Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, EFL Cup, Football

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno