Meet Man Utd’s ‘secret weapon’ coach who is invaluable to Erik ten Hag and won over Casemiro with impressive skill
ERIC RAMSAY has become a vital cog in the Manchester United machine this season.
The coach has been invaluable to manager Erik ten Hag since the Dutchman’s arrival last summer and has been dubbed the club’s “secret weapon”.
Ramsay, 31, is one of the most highly-rated young coaches in world football while he works day-to-day with the players on and off the pitch.
The Welshman began to forge his reputation at Old Trafford in 2021 after being hired to help Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during his reign as manager.
The former Chelsea U23 assistant coach was initially tasked with improving the Red Devils’ effectiveness from set-pieces.
Blackpool made an approach to make Ramsay manager at the club, but United executives convinced him to stay as they valued him so highly.
Ramsay has forged relationships with United’s stars due to his ability to speak fluent Spanish.
Players such as Casemiro were impressed by the young coach following his £70million arrival from Real Madrid as he was able to have a full conversation.
The skill to speak with foreign players has made Ramsay be able to help them settle in their new surroundings quicker.
United hired him after the club received a glowing recommendation from former club coach and current Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna.
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McKenna and Ramsay studied at Loughborough University together.
Ramsay graduated in 2013 with a first-class honours degree and shortly after was hired by Swansea City and worked with the U21s and U18s for three and half years.
After leaving the Swans, Ramsay took up a role at hometown club Shrewsbury as the head of academy and coaching.
He even became the temporary manager for six games following John Askey’s sacking in 2018 ahead of Sam Ricketts’ appointment.
Ramsay and Ricketts had both studied for their Uefa Pro Licence with the Welsh FA before ending up together at the Shrewsbury.
When Ramsay got the role at United, Ricketts was not surprised as he said: “His personality is the big thing.
“He’s a people person.
“He’s a very rounded individual who won’t be fazed by anything but who will be very attentive and detail-driven in everything he does.”
Despite United’s goalscoring from set-pieces not improving under Ramsay, he was defended by club legend and technical director Darren Fletcher.
The Scot insisted that the coach had been hired to solidify the defence when facing set pieces.
He said: “People only give the one narrative about scoring from set pieces.
“The biggest reason Eric was brought in was because we were conceding too many goals from set pieces.
“We have really improved our defending from set pieces and wide free-kicks this season.
“Eric is a fantastic coach.”
That difference has been clear to see in the recent Premier League campaign as the club only conceded 43 goals, a record bettered by only Manchester City and Newcastle.
His skills have also been noticed internationally as he joined the Welsh backroom staff in March and was hailed by manager Rob Page.
He described Ramsay as “one of the best young coaches in football.”
Ramsay’s ability has aided United to one of their best seasons in recent times, having qualified for the Champions League and picked up a Carabao Cup trophy.
The Red Devils also have the chance to make it a domestic double on Saturday as they face City in the FA Cup final.