Nathan Tella has expressed his enthusiasm about working under Erik ten Hag at Bayer Leverkusen, while taking a swipe at fans who have questioned the Dutchman’s credentials based solely on his Manchester United tenure.
The Super Eagles star defended ten Hag’s managerial pedigree and praised Leverkusen’s decision to appoint him as successor to Xabi Alonso.
ten Hag signed a two-year deal with the Bundesliga club following his departure from United, where he won both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup during a turbulent spell.
“I’m looking forward to it (playing for Ten Hag) a lot. I think he is a very good manager,” Tella told Flashscore.
“I know, obviously, people are short-sighted and look at only what he’s done at Man United, but people forget he’s won two trophies with them, and what he did with Ajax.”
The 55-year-old will begin his tenure officially on July 1st, ahead of Leverkusen’s DFB Cup opener in mid-August and the Bundesliga season kickoff soon after.
Tella, who joined Leverkusen in 2023, believes ten Hag’s arrival is a signal of ambition and an opportunity for him to develop further under a high-calibre coach.
“Another manager to impress, another big name in world football, and to have the opportunity to work for him and with him is something I’m really looking forward to,” the winger added.
Despite Leverkusen finishing runners-up last season, Tella maintains that the team’s performances were consistent with their recent title-winning standards.
While he acknowledged moments of inconsistency and missed opportunities, he dismissed the idea that their prior unbeaten run was accidental.
Tella insisted: “I wouldn’t say it’s a fluke… We were a really good team last year… We still were able to show our quality.”
He concluded by stressing that, while Bayern Munich edged them this time, Leverkusen still proved their mettle as reigning champions.
