Super Eagles and Bayer 04 Leverkusen attacker, Nathan Temitayo Tella, has hit back at the critics of former Manchester United head coach, Erik Ten Hag.

The Dutch manager won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup while at Manchester United, but shameful outings in the UEFA Champions League and the Premier League ultimately cost him his job at Old Trafford. He was replaced by Ruben Amorim just before Christmas.

With Xabi Alonso taking over from Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, Die Werkself appointed Ten Hag on a two-year deal, and Tella is excited to work under the former Ajax coach.

“I'm looking forward to it (playing for Ten Hag) a lot. I think he is a very good manager. 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 former Southampton winger told Flashscore.

“To even get a job at Manchester United from Ajax, it shows he must be doing something incredible, and even (though) it didn't go the way perhaps people wanted it to go, but then to get a job at Leverkusen shows you that he's such a high-quality manager because of the manager he's coming in to replace.

“I've not even met him yet. I've just seen the pictures of him signing, and it's given me motivation to want to play for him.

“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 one-time Bundesliga winner concluded.

While Tella can't wait to get started under Ten Hag, the Dutch gaffer has made it clear he has no plans for Tella's Nigerian teammate, Victor Boniface, as previously reported by Soccernet.ng.