Erik ten Hag compared to a DICTATOR

Carlo Garganese

• 19 Apr 2023 14:50 BST
• 3 min read

A former player of Erik ten Hag at Bayern Munich has heavily criticised the Dutchman, likening him to a dictator.

Ten Hag was manager of Bayern Munich II from 2013 to 2015.

Despite leading the Bayern second team to a Regionalliga title, he didn't impress everyone there.

READ MORE: Ten Hag's striker hint points to Man Utd's next No.9

Indeed his former defender Riccardo Basta was far from pleased with how Ten Hag treated him at Bayern.

What did Basta say about Ten Hag?

"He was almost like a dictator. He had a plan and we as players had to follow it. He was the most meticulous. It was a bit of a culture shock for me. It started with the fact that we had to wear white socks in our presentation clothing. Ten Hag was really amazing," Basta told Sport1.

"Personally I didn't have a good relationship with Ten Hag. I argued with him several times. I remember a training session where we played a Rondo. He and I were in the middle and we had to win the ball. But he didn't want to run, so I had to run for him. I then boycotted the “Rondo” and stopped in place. He really ripped me apart. I then defended myself verbally because I was a stubborn person."

Basta also hit out at Ten Hag for denying him a transfer away from Bayern.

"I had a concrete loan offer from abroad," Basta explained.

"But this chance was denied to me by FC Bayern. Namely by ten Hag. At that point I was still contractually bound. I had signed a three-year contract and was in my second year of the contract.

"I remember a moment at training camp when I went up to Matthias Sammer and told him I wanted to move. From then on I was truly finished. During the training camp, there were times when I wasn't even allowed to train with the team."

Basta, now 28, has subsequently failed to make the grade as a professional footballer.

Ten Hag, meanwhile, joined Utrecht in 2015 before really making his name at Ajax between 2017 and 2022.

The manager has impressed in his first season at Man Utd, winning the League Cup, reaching the semis of the FA Cup and quarters of Europa League, and taking the club to the brink of a top four finish.

His team is next in action on Thursday when they play Sevilla in the second leg of their Europa League quarter final. They drew 2-2 in the first leg at Old Trafford last week.