BANGKOK - Erik ten Hag has yet to lead his new team Manchester United in a match but the Dutch manager has already been able to convince his beleaguered side of promising times ahead.
Left-back Luke Shaw, who appeared alongside Alex Telles, Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane at a Chivas Regal meet-and-greet event at The Athenee Hotel in Bangkok on Sunday (July 10), beamed when he was posed a question about the new man in charge.
"We are obviously going to have a plan under him (ten Hag) and he has a way and structure in which he wants us to play and the way he wants his team to be built," said 26-year-old Shaw, who had a forgettable 2021-22 season due to a leg injury that saw him miss several matches.
"We haven't had the structure in our team for a while now and that has been clear to see."
United - whose official spirits partner is Chivas Regal - are in Thailand to face Liverpool in a pre-season friendly at the Rajamangala National Stadium on Tuesday.
It will be ten Hag's first game in charge of the English giants after his appointment in April. The 52-year-old had led Ajax Amsterdam to the league and cup double in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Ten Hag has a monumental task on his hands as he looks to restore the broken confidence of a squad that had just endured United's worst season of the English Premier League era. The Red Devils, who have yet to win a major trophy since 2017, finished sixth with 58 points from 38 matches.
The start of his tenure has also been marred by the distraction of want-away superstar Cristiano Ronaldo - who has been omitted from United's tour of Thailand and Australia due to family reasons.
Ten Hag has already spoken about wanting United to play a proactive style of football, that will see the Red Devils being brave in possession while pressing aggressively without the ball. His style has already seen a positive effect on the players.
Shaw said: "I'll be honest. It's been really impressive. We have only had two weeks together as a team but it is clear to see he is a top, top manager.
"Last season was extremely disappointing and we know we have to bounce back. The start of these two weeks have been very impressive. He (ten Hag) has been working us extremely hard but I think we need it. We are all really looking forward to the season.
"I know the coming season is going to be better than the last one."
The Englishman's confidence in ten Hag is despite the fact that the Dutch manager's first signing as United boss was his countryman Tyrell Malacia who will provide stiff competition for Shaw's left-back spot.
At the fan event on Sunday, Shaw, Telles, Martial and Varane spent over 30 minutes engaging with about 50 invited fans from around the region. The quartet signed shirts, caps and scarves, and posed for photographs with the fans.
Shaw, along with Martial - who spent the second half of last season on loan with La Liga side Sevilla - were especially in the mood and burst into laughter several times, a sign that the squad is in good spirits.
But the biggest show of confidence in the new regime was perhaps most telling when the players were asked for three words to describe the upcoming season.
While Varane offered the word, "ambition", Martial added "victories", Shaw took a step further when he answered "trophies", much to the delight of the fans in attendance.
The United faithful in Bangkok and all around the world will be hoping that Shaw's words will ring true come the end of the season.
