COMMENT: If Manchester United fans are seeking reason why Erik ten Hag has made this move for Wout Weghorst, they need only check last week's wonderful interview in the Dutch media...

Not for English eyes? Maybe. Or perhaps it was simply the format and a trusted source. But whatever the reason, Ten Hag let it all hang out last week in a long chat with Voetbal International magazine.

It was sober. Enlightening. And for United fans, it should also be exciting. Ten Hag laid out his philosophy. His plans for the team. And did it all by matching the passion and knowledge of the most diehard United fan. Those stories of Ten Hag spending hours in the Old Trafford museum. Of pumping long time staff members for stories and anecdotes about the great moments and players of the past. They weren't the stuff of PR. It was genuine. And the way, during this interview, he pulled apart the club's traditions and past teams was a clear example of a manager absolutely living and breathing Manchester United.

Discussing the "fear factor" that United had "lost", Ten Hag rattled off the names of players from the Sir Alex Ferguson era for every line of the team. From the strikers of Eric Cantona and Andrew Cole. To the goalkeepers of Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van Sar. He knew them all. Not just by name. But character. "Mental resilience", as he put it.

"... always a strategist in midfield. Roy Keane, the boss. Paul Scholes, a magnificent footballer and personality...

"That's the culture of Manchester United.

"I looked at that very carefully and then saw that last season's team looked fragile and vulnerable.

“When we get players, you look at their quality and technical skills. But you also look at their mental quality, that mental resilience - and we had to bring that back."

This was the stuff of Sir Alex. Where Ten Hag has studied the Scot's time in charge. Fergie arrived from Pittodrie famously with an immediate plan to overhaul the club's youth system in an honour and pledge to the last great era of the club under Sir Matt Busby. In his mid-40s, Ferguson would always be dropping the name of Busby and Jimmy Murphy in long form interviews. He didn't shy away from the great times of the past. He embraced them. He saw what worked. The traditions the club needed to bring back. And set about rebuilding them.

Thirty-odd years on and Ten Hag is doing the same. And as we say, to have a manager so enthusiastic and passionate about their history really should give every United fan a lift. Indeed, for the club's media department, they could do worse than print VI's interview in full in a future edition of United Review. Not so much for the 100,000 who will purchase the match programme, but for posterity. To mark these words of Ten Hag in the club's annals. In terms of cultural shift, it really is that important.

And this is what you have with Ten Hag. If things run as they hope, his reaction to their collapse at Manchester City earlier this season should go down in folklore. A key foundational moment in the Ten Hag rebuild. The Dutchman didn't call in the players early for training. He didn't fine them for ignoring instructions. Instead, Ten Hag ordered them to visit the museum. To learn about the history of the club and what they're representing.

“He asked them what they knew about the club," a dressing room source said at the time. "When some said they had never been to look around the museum or only walked through it, he was astounded.

“He has told all the players they need to make time to go in either before it opens or after it closes, so they can learn more about what it means to represent United."

That commitment to the club's past is also explained by Ten Hag's approach to the transfer market. Again, in that VI interview, the manager was wide open about the changes he's made to transfer policy.

Not mincing words, Ten Hag declared "most purchases have been average - and at United average is not good enough.

"United's shirt weighs heavily. Only real personalities, who can perform under great pressure, can play here."

He then offered the example of Casemiro as one with the necessary "winning personality", before describing Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Antony as "fighters". Keane, Stam, Paul Ince, Mark Hughes. Ferguson would also seek "fighters". Artisans to complement his artists. As this Ten Hag interview went on, a thread could be formed from this current team and the first great team Ferguson built. They're not there yet, but the similarities are certainly apparent.

Which is why you can see Ten Hag's decision to move for Weghorst. It might be a stop-gap. It could be for longer. But the personality fits. The form, both with Holland in Qatar and Besiktas in Turkey, warrants it. He's no stylist. No silky footballer. But these aren't the times for that. Indeed, how many of such types have United signed and sold these past 10 years?

What United will get is another "fighter". The man who dared to challenge Leo Messi. The farewell Besiktas supporters gave their on-loan Burnley striker said it all. You don't get such a send-off from Turkish fans without leaving something of yourself in return.

And for the United support, they need only read that interview with VI to understand why Ten Hag has made this move.