Manchester United a ‘Long-Term’ Project for Ten Hag

Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Crystal Palace - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - February 4, 2023 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Crystal Palace - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - February 4, 2023 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. (Reuters)
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Manchester United a ‘Long-Term’ Project for Ten Hag

Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Crystal Palace - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - February 4, 2023 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Crystal Palace - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - February 4, 2023 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. (Reuters)

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said he has a long-term plan to build a culture and to develop players at the club.

United appointed Ten Hag in April 2022 to succeed interim boss Ralf Rangnick.

The team sit third in the Premier League, eight points behind leaders Arsenal, and have the chance to win their first trophy since 2017 when they face Newcastle United in the League Cup final on Feb. 26.

"I always think about the long term, in every club where I was, I have been thinking about long-term work to build a culture, to build a way of playing, to develop the players and the team, obviously," Ten Hag told reporters.

"I think in the long term obviously in contracts and in (transfer) windows because I think that is the (right) way.

"I am not here for one year, I am (here for) longer, I see it is a long-term project to build here and how long it is you can't see, I can't tell," he added.

United are due to host Leeds United in the league later on Wednesday.



'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

 (FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
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'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

 (FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)

India's Fauja Singh, believed to be the world's oldest distance runner, has died in a road accident aged 114, his biographer said Tuesday.

Singh, an Indian-born British national, nicknamed the "Turbaned Tornado", died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab state's Jalandhar district on Monday, AFP reported.

"My Turbaned Tornado is no more," Fauja's biographer Khushwant Singh wrote on X.

"He was struck by an unidentified vehicle... in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja."

Singh did not have a birth certificate but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911.

He ran full marathons (42 kilometer) till the age of 100.

His last race was a 10-kilometer (six-mile) event at the 2013 Hong Kong Marathon when 101, where he finished in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.

He became an international sensation after taking up distance running at the ripe old age of 89, after the death of his wife and one of his sons, inspired by seeing marathons on television.

Although widely regarded as the world's oldest marathon runner, he was not certified by Guinness World Records as he could not prove his age, saying that birth certificates did not exist when he was born under British colonial rule in 2011.

Singh was a torchbearer for the Olympics at Athens 2004 and London 2012, and appeared in advertisements with sports stars such as David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.

His strength and vitality were credited to a routine of farm walks and a diet including Indian sweet "laddu" packed with dry fruits and home-churned curd.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute on social media.

"Fauja Singh was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness," said Modi on X.

"He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world."