Winter: England Have A Lot To Thank Manchester United Man For
Meulensteen, an advocate of the Coerver Method, has worked with both Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley from a young age, and now the two have both broken into the Manchester United first team as well as the England squad both club and country are seeing the benefits of the Dutchman’s work.
Both players have shown they are comfortable on the ball as well as proving to be technically proficient and Winter as well as they believe that the work they did with Meulensteen has played an integral part in that.
In his column in The Daily Telegraph, Winter wrote:
A disciple of the skill-enriching Coerver Method, Meulensteen encouraged youngsters like Cleverley and Welbeck to express themselves, treating the ball as a friend, enjoying its company and potential. With Les Kershaw, the then academy director, committed to four v four matches, United led the way in player development.
Back in 2005, having worked with prospects like Welbeck and Cleverley, Meulensteen observed that if their generation “carries on maturing, they’ll have skills coming out of their ears”.
He had a mantra for the youngsters, wise counsel when he gathered them in the centre-circle of the indoor pitch at Carrington. “You all have the ability,” Meulensteen told them. “But do you have the confidence to play in front of 10,000 people, 20,000, 30,000? Use all your time training.
“Don’t waste it. Learn. Train hard, work hard. Take responsibility.”
Cleverley has started all 4 of England’s games this season and he too agrees with Winter, hailing the now first team coach:
“Rene did a lot of on-the-ball things, as many touches on the ball as you can, very technical work and that’s paying off now because we’re both comfortable on the ball.”