FC Utrecht owner Frans van Seumeren says Erik ten Hag can bring success to Manchester United - if they believe in him.

Van Seumeren had Ten Hag as Utrecht coach ahead of his move to Ajax.

He said: “When Erik ten Hag was our manager, in his second season we took three points from the first six games, but that season we qualified for Europe for the first time. That is a great example of his quality and management."

Van Seumeren says his former coach is still an inspiring example at Utrecht.

He said: "You saw from Erik ten Hag against Liverpool that he can turn things around in football. Utrecht play Ajax next and that is a massive game. Erik is our inspiration. Nobody expected Ten Hag to win with Manchester United against Liverpool and he had those successes with us too."

Former Holland coach Dick Advocaat also said of Ten Hag: “It is all about the attitude of the players, I saw that against Liverpool. Erik can prepare a team and a squad. When you know that he was not even able to have a proper preparation with his team because of stuff with fans in the town near the hotel before the Liverpool game, you can imagine how sharp he had got them in all the days before the match."

After losing to Thomas Frank's side Ten Hag dragged his players into training on their day off making them run 13.8 kilometres - the distance Brentford ran more than his players in the defeat. And the 52-year-old coach ran the 8.5 miles himself alongside his smarting players.

“Yes, he disciplined them with an extra training session on their day off. He made them run and he ran the whole distance himself too" Advocaat explained. “That showed character. I tell you one thing, I could not have done it!''