In rather surprising news, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has joined Twitter. However, the manner in which his account has started has left fans perplexed.
The Dutchman’s joining of the social media platform comes as part of a growing trend among football managers. As the head coach role becomes a more and more prominent figure, fans want the opportunity to interact and get insight from the bosses of their teams.
Most recently, Neil Warnock joined Twitter with a hilarious recreation of his walking toward the cameraman as Cardiff manager back in 2019. However, he is not alone on the platform.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has an account that started back in 2011. Unfortunately for fans, it does not provide much interaction. Guardiola’s media team generally uses the profile for sponsorship purposes, although some more personal items are shared.
Similarly, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta have both had Twitter accounts since 2017 and 2012, respectively. In contrast to Pep, who posted reasonably recently, neither Tuchel nor Arteta have tweeted since 2020.
Now, Man United’s new boss has come to join in on the fun of football Twitter.
Erik ten Hag gets Twitter
Ten Hag’s account has already received the “verified” blue tick – displaying that it must be his profile. But, his account is currently locked, meaning only followers can see his tweets and replies.
There is a small problem with this though; his account has just one follower and follows no one. That is a strong follower-to-following ratio, though, to be fair. Finally, the account also does not have a profile picture – further adding to the intrigue.
This new account has left Man United supporters stumped. One fan thinks that Man United’s social media team are taking precautions to make sure Ten Hag can have an easy username.
“Erik ten Hag is on Twitter. Club saving the username and guarding against fakes?” questioned this user.
Meanwhile, others wonder how the account got a blue tick with such little following: “why tf is @eriktenhag verified?” queried another.
If Erik ten Hag actually uses his Twitter account, he can be sure to receive plenty of suggestions from Manchester United fans.
United fans make demands to Ten Hag
Upon finding the Dutchman’s Twitter account, fans began tagging Ten Hag in tweets regarding their team.
This summer, the Red Devils do face a mass exodus, with several players set to leave Old Trafford. Veteran faces Edinson Cavani, Juan Mata, and Nemanja Matic are all saying goodbye.
Furthermore, Paul Pogba is exiting the club for free again following the expiry of his contract. The outgoings list will likely grow this summer as the new regime looks to fund this squad overhaul.
Like any team’s supporters, United fans clamour for new signings. Amongst numerous players, supporters have asked the Old Trafford side to sign Jurrien Timber, Frenkie de Jong, and Darwin Nunez.
With many gaps to fill in the squad, United have a long list of transfer targets. As a result, they have reportedly opened talks with Barcelona over a move for Frenkie de Jong, and have been linked with players such as Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen too.
Who knows? Maybe Erik ten Hag will take supporters’ advice on Twitter. He has his work cut out at United either way.
Featured image credit: Getty