Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag slammed as being ‘like a dictator’ by former star who claims he ‘made false promises’
ERIK TEN HAG has been accused of acting “like a dictator” and making “false promises” by one of his former players.
Prior to his time at Manchester United and even Ajax, Ten Hag had a two-year stint coaching at Bayern Munich.
Between 2013 and 2015 Ten Hag was in charge of managing the club’s reserve side, winning the Regionalliga Bayern in 2014.
And while there he managed a German footballer by the name of Riccardo Basta.
But Basta does not have fond memories of his time with the Dutchman.
The now 28-year-old accused Ten Hag of making false promises to him regarding his development before slamming his managerial style.
In an interview with Sport 1, he said: “Every child dreams of becoming a professional footballer and at Bayern I was very close to that dream.
“But I was laughed at, and false promises were made.
“After my first contract extension, he [Ten Hag] told me that they were counting on me and that there was a plan for me.
“I was supposed to become a link between the first and second team and occasionally be in the squad.
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“I thought that was great, of course. In the end, however, nothing came of it.
“Personally, I did not have a good relationship with Ten Hag. He was almost a dictator. He had a plan and we players had to follow it.”
Basta would eventually leave Bayern in 2017 and now turns out for VfR Garching in Germany’s fifth tier.
Ten Hag on the other hand would head to Utrecht, where he would stay until joining Ajax in 2017.
Fast forward to today and Ten Hag will be mulling over his plan to ensure Man Utd overcome Sevilla after the 2-2 draw in the Europa League quarter-final first leg last week.
The Red Devils remain active on three fronts, chasing a spot in the top four and success in Europe and the FA Cup.