MAN UNITED CONFIDENTIAL: Erik ten Hag’s putting in the hard graft with the new hierarchy, autograph session makes players late to training and two more stars go to LA… but on holiday!

Manchester United’s decision to retain Erik ten Hag as manager will largely depend on whether the Dutchman can build a good working relationship with the club’s new management.

Speaking between training sessions on Friday, Ten Hag sought to clear up any remaining concerns about Ineos sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford and new United technical director Jason Wilcox meeting with candidates for his role at the end of last season.

‘We are in a new season now,’ Ten Hag said. ‘We have left everything behind us, we are looking forward. It is a great project. We want to work and we want to win. I want to work together. I can’t do this alone. Players, staff, leadership, I am sure we will have more success. It is a new dynamic. We want to win more trophies and that is what we are striving for.’

So it was interesting to watch Ten Hag deep in conversation for 15 minutes with Brailsford, Wilcox and United’s new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, after training on the UCLA campus on Friday night. The success of this new dynamic is crucial to the club’s future success.

Stars let loose in Beverly Hills

After training, the players make the most of the rooftop pool at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills to relax.

The hotel isn’t as close to the bright lights and fashion shops of Rodeo Drive as the Beverly Wilshire or Montage, which were the club’s touring bases in the past, but it’s still an impressive venue.

Ten Hag gave his players Thursday afternoon off and a British contingent wasted no time in a shopping spree. Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay, Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton made the mile-and-a-half trek from United’s hotel to Rodeo Drive.

One of the advantages of a US tour for United is the freedom the players have to move around freely in their spare time, without being mobbed by fans, something that is rarely the case in other parts of the world.

Signing session sees Utd arrive late

United are here to work hard in preparation for the season, but also to meet their fans in the US. Both parts of a double training session on Friday started late, as the players signed autographs for the fans who had come to UCLA.

It forced Ten Hag to postpone his press conference for Arsenal’s match at SoFi Stadium in LA in the early hours of Sunday. He explained the delay by saying: ‘Sorry we’re late. But there were a lot of fans outside so we signed some autographs before training, so we started training late and then we had a good session. We have to work. Sorry!’

United’s first session of the day was a fitness workout at Drake Stadium, which has an outdoor gym. The second session involved more ball work at Wallis Annenberg Stadium on the other side of the UCLA campus.

Interestingly, Ruud van Nistelrooy oversaw a drill where players were encouraged to score from the wings. Double points were awarded for each goal scored from a cross from the sides, which were marked out with cones.

Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans, new signing Leny Yoro and third-choice keeper Tom Heaton were allowed to skip the evening session to share their workload.

Kobie and Zirkzee keep their distance

Kobbie Mainoo and United’s new £36.5million signing Joshua Zirkzee are both on holiday in LA despite not being part of the club’s pre-season tour.

All players who have reached or advanced to the semi-finals of the European Championship and the Copa America are given a period of time off after the tournaments. Mainoo helped England beat Zirkzee’s Netherlands to reach the final in Germany.

However, the staff do not expect either player to attend training camp. Mainoo and Zirkzee are likely to report back to Carrington in the week before the Community Shield against Manchester City on August 10.

Jelle keeps goalkeepers sharp

New goalkeeping coach Jelle ten Rouwelaar helps United’s goalkeepers deploy from the back by making them more flexible with the ball at their feet.

Ten Rouwelaar, who joined from Ajax this summer after working at Burnley, trained with Andre Onana, Tom Heaton and Radek Vitek (Altay Bayindir is on holiday after the European Championship) at Carrington and in the US.

To keep the players alert and deal with high-pressing opponents, Heaton explained how the Dutchman has instructed them to do the opposite of what they expect.

“On my first warm-up day, there were a lot of opposites,” Heaton said. “There was a blue cone and a yellow cone, and it was a case of doing opposites. If he says blue, you go to yellow. Then he gave me the ball, and if he said right, it would be left. Then the progression would be left, left, but the first one wouldn’t be an opposite, and the second one would be an opposite.

‘Teams are very structured in what they do in their press: whether they press with one man, two or three. So you have to calculate it and count their numbers, where they’re coming from, who wants to jump. So, I think it’s more based on observing what’s in front of you and making sure you’re doing the job right.’

Utd is a California dream

Don’t be surprised if United tours the US and California for the third year in a row next summer.

To keep fans and sponsors happy, United usually organises alternating tours of North America, the Far East, Australia and South Africa.

But after signing a new three-year shirt sponsorship deal worth £175m with Snapdragon to replace German TeamViewer, United’s commercial commitments are more focused on America than ever before.

Last summer, Ten Hag’s team played in San Diego, where they played in the Snapdragon Stadium. They also played in New Jersey, Houston and Las Vegas.

This year, United are based in Los Angeles, where they will face Arsenal. They will also play Real Betis at the Snapdragon Stadium, before travelling east to face Liverpool in Columbia, South Carolina.

Normally the club would look to new horizons next summer, but it seems that a return to the US cannot be ruled out under these circumstances.