Man United on the up, says Huddlestone, who reveals what young stars think of Ten Hag

The Red Devils appointed the former Tottenham midfielder in a player-coach role with the under-21 side.

The 35-year-old is registered to play in the Under-21 set-up as an over-aged player with clubs permitted to utilise five over-aged outfield players and one goalkeeper.

However, the possibility of playing in the first team appears to be off the table in an injury crisis.

This may be a bit disappointing to Huddlestone, who believes Man United are a club on the up as he shed light on what new Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag is like to the players.

"I've only been here a day but listening to the feedback from the younger players that have been with the first team for pre-season - the manager's going to be very demanding on and off the pitch," Huddlestone said on Drive.

"And they're saying it's probably what the club's lacked in the last couple of seasons so everyone's confident it's going to be a successful year.

"Every club in the country moans about signings and that but I think if you look at the starting XI he's got to work with they can be challenging.

"Obviously Manchester City and Liverpool have been phenomenal for the past six or seven years but Man United are on an upward trend for sure."

Ten Hag's men begin their campaign when they entertain Brighton on Sunday.

The Premier League is back and talkSPORT has it covered, with games on Friday, Saturday and Monday, beginning with Crystal Palace vs Arsenal on 5 August