The Dutchman worked with Ten Hag during his time at Ajax over a two-and-a-half year period before he joined Albion in 2020.
Joel Veltman said: “You could see Ten Hag’s qualities in the first couple of training sessions. He had a vision and he wanted to put that into our team and did a great job. We were playing really well. Of course, every gaffer needs his time, but he did well in the end. His strength was bringing everyone together, but also tactically and building a team who were all pulling in the same direction. He came in halfway during the 2017/18 season and he did a great job, especially in Europe, because that was our next step. In the league we were doing well – we were champions or second sometimes, but European competition was tough for Ajax. We made it to a semi-final of the Champions League, so that says how good a job he did.”
Veltman believes that there are similar traits between the new boss at Old Trafford to Albion boss Graham Potter.
Joel Veltman added: “On the training pitch he was more like a gaffer – the same as Graham Potter to be honest. The assistant coaches would do more of the exercises and he’s more like looking all over like analysing more than saying, ‘you have to do this or do this.’ Every gaffer needs to bring through the youth – to bring somebody up and I think that’s what he did as well with Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Lijt.”
