Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has saluted Erik ten Hag's personal touch and revealed how the new management team have lifted flagging morale.
United posted four successive Premier League wins before last week's trip to rivals Manchester City, where hat-tricks from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden condemned them to a comprehensive 6-3 defeat.
However, Ten Hag's side bounced back with a 3-2 victory over Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday, boosting their hopes of progressing from Group E.
McTominay came off the bench during United's trip to Cyprus but has started six of seven league games under Ten Hag despite the arrivals of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.
Speaking to United's website, the Scotland international made a favourable comparison between Ten Hag and his predecessors, saying of the Dutch boss: "On tour [in pre-season] he asked me about my family and how they were and how they're getting on.
"That was a real good touch because I felt like I could then trust him, and want to play for him and be in a team with him, where he's pushing me.
"I obviously want to be making sure I'm doing my best for him because he's got a real understanding about my personal life as well, which is massive in terms of a player. I've never really, properly had that before.
"[I've had] other bits from other coaches, but I feel like he's really, really, good in that aspect."
With United failing to win a major trophy since Jose Mourinho's team captured the 2016-17 Europa League, McTominay felt sweeping changes were required at Old Trafford, and he highlighted the role of Ten Hag's backroom team in implementing them.
"There's a lot of change, obviously," he said. "I think it's clear to notice that on the pitch, in terms of the way we set up and the different ideas the manager has got."
He pointed to the influence of assistant boss Mitchell van der Gaag and technical director Darren Fletcher, and also highlighted the role of former England boss Steve McClaren, a notable recruit to Ten Hag's coaching staff.
"Steve McClaren is literally one of the best guys you can have in football because he keeps everybody alive, he keeps everyone together and that is so good for players, in boosting their confidence," McTominay said.
"I feel like some players needed that at the end of last season. They needed lifting and that energy bringing into the group, and they've most definitely done that."
United travel to Everton for their next Premier League outing on Sunday, looking to improve on their dismal record in recent away games.
The Red Devils have lost eight of their last 10 Premier League away matches, and scored as many goals in last week's defeat to City as they had in their previous eight road trips.
Ipswich Town 1-1 Manchester United: Hutchinson denies Amorim winning start
Ruben Amorim was denied victory in his first game in charge of Manchester United as they played out a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town on Sunday.
The visitors made a dream start to Amorim's tenure when Marcus Rashford opened the scoring in only the second minute at Portman Road.
But Omari Hutchinson's deflected equaliser sent Ipswich deservedly into the break on level pegging as the Tractor Boys responded well to the early setback.
United were grateful to Andre Onana for a couple of big saves in a game in which they struggled to test Arijanet Muric in the Ipswich goal after their flying start as the spoils were shared.
Rashford, chosen as a central striker, nipped to the near post to meet Amad Diallo's centre in a sublime start for the Red Devils.
Onana brilliantly kept out Liam Delap from eight yards but could do nothing to prevent Hutchinson's bending 20-yard effort finding the top-left corner via a deflection off the head of Noussair Mazraoui.
Muric smartly prevented Alejandro Garnacho restoring United's lead immediately after the restart, while at the other end Onana again thwarted Delap who thought he had scored with an ingenious flick.
Bruno Fernandes bent a free-kick wide and Conor Chaplin poked straight at Onana as both sides had to settle for a point.
Amorim matches Moyes as it's joy of six for Rashford
It could hardly have been a better start for Amorim, who joins David Moyes as the only manager to see his side score within the opening two minutes of his first Premier League game (Moyes having done so with Everton in March 2002).
However, it marked only the third time United have scored inside two minutes of a Premier League match and not won, with a 2-2 draw with Liverpool in October 1995 and a 6-1 hammering by Tottenham in October 2020 the other occasions.
Rashford was the man to get Amorim off to a flier and he has now scored under six different United managers having registered for Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag, more than any other player for the club.
Ipswich, meanwhile, now have four goals scored from outside the penalty area in the Premier League this term - a tally only bettered by Manchester City (7) and Nottingham Forest (5).
Leeds edge 'basketball game' at Swansea as Gnonto nets injury-time winner
Wilfried Gnonto's stoppage-time strike fired Leeds United to the Championship summit as they beat Swansea City 4-3 in a contest defender Joe Rodon compared to a basketball game.
Daniel Farke's team were twice forced to come from behind in South Wales as a Manor Solomon strike and a Ben Cabango own goal saw them respond to first-half efforts from Harry Darling and Liam Cullen.
Solomon's second put Leeds 3-2 up with 73 minutes gone, but Florian Bianchini's 90th-minute leveller looked set to keep them third in the table, behind Sunderland and Sheffield United.
However, substitute Gnonto tucked home following an assist from former Swansea winger Dan James, sending the travelling fans into raptures and securing Leeds' second straight victory.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Rodon – who began his career with Swansea – said: "It was like a basketball game! Credit to the boys.
"Every game we want to keep a clean sheet, but you know how it is in the Championship, and Swansea made it difficult for us."
Gnonto now has eight goal involvements in the Championship this season, scoring three and assisting five.
Only Norwich City's Borja Sainz (11 goals, two assists), Middlesbrough's Finn Azaz (five goals and seven assists) and West Brom's Josh Maja (10 goals, one assist) have more.
Slot relishing Liverpool's Real Madrid, Man City double-header
Arne Slot is relishing Liverpool's upcoming double-header against Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Liverpool came from behind thanks to Mohamed Salah's second-half double to beat Southampton 3-2 on Sunday.
That victory at St Mary's moved the Reds eight points clear of Man City, who were thrashed 4-0 at home by Tottenham on Saturday for a fifth straight defeat in all competitions.
Pep Guardiola's team visit Anfield on December 1, though first the Reds host European champions Madrid in the Champions League.
And Slot cannot wait for Liverpool to go up against two heavyweights.
"It's what you need in a league like this, with so many quality teams. You have to keep winning because if you don’t, the other ones will," the Dutchman told BBC Sport.
"That's what we try to do every game, now it's Real Madrid and next Sunday it's Man City.
"You couldn't wish for more than playing these two games in the upcoming week, at home."
No manager in Premier League history has reached 10 wins in fewer matches from the start of their career in the competition than Slot (12 games, level with Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti).
Liverpool were indebted to Salah, however, with the forward dragging them level and then converting the winner from the penalty spot after Mateus Fernandes had put Southampton into a surprise lead early in the second half, following goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Adam Armstrong before the break.
Salah became the first player to score in five successive Premier League appearances for Liverpool since the Egyptian himself in October 2021 (seven in a row). His second goal was his 100th away from Anfield for Liverpool in all competitions.
"It was very good that Mo scored in that moment," said Slot of Salah's first goal, which came in the 65th minute when he nudged Ryan Gravenberch's pass beyond the stranded Alex McCarthy.
"It was not the best period of the game so he helped us with that and then afterwards we dominated so much, they got tired.
"That is what special players do. They can score goals out of nowhere. It's not completely out of nowhere because the assist of Gravenberch is a great ball as well, but Mo is known for the timing of his runs, he feels the right moment to run behind the last line, and normally you know he’s not offside because he always finds the right moment, and then he scores the goal, which was very helpful for us."
While Slot acknowledged Liverpool were tested by the Premier League's bottom club, he felt his team were always in control.
He added: "It wasn't a surprise for us, we saw how they played against Man City, Arsenal and Newcastle in away games, never mind how they would play in a home game against a top team. But we dominated. Because we went down 2-1, it made it really difficult for us.
"We dominated the whole game, which is not that easy against Southampton because they want possession, they want to dominate the game as well, but they couldn't. Because the scoreline was as it was, it felt like a difficult match, but if you look at the underlying numbers we deserved to win."
Those metrics support Slot's point. Liverpool accumulated 2.9 expected goals from 27 shots, 11 of which were on target, while they also limited Southampton to 37.9% possession.
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