It may have been a bad week in office for Manchester United after losing 3-0 to Liverpool at Old Trafford but legendary Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge was there at the end to illuminate some light at Carrington.
Erik Ten Hag was badly exposed by fellow Dutch man Arne Slot who instructed his attackers to exploit the channels after after noticing weaknesses in united's tactical setup.
British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, fresh from acquiring the storied football club has gone about putting in place the right structures to restore the club to its former glories including hiring former Manchester City Chief Operating Officer Omar Berrada as Chief Executive and Dan Ashworth, the former Brighton executive as the Director of Football.
Ratcliffe owns the petrochemicals company Ineos, which shares a rich working history with Kipchoge which climaxed with the company sponsoring the landmark INEOS 1:59 Challenge race where Kipchoge declared that no human is limited after becoming the first human to run in under two hours, clocking 1:59:40.
Based on this strong relationship, Kipchoge was invited to Carrington where he interacted with both first team and academy Manchester United players with a view to share some of his secrets to success as the club charts its way back to sustainable winning.
Kipchoge watched training and spoke with the coaching staff, all while giving tips on how he has managed to stay on top of the athletics game for so long and claim the title of greatest marathoner of all time, G.O.A.T.
Kipchoge stressed the importance of mental readiness in sports, reminding United players that it was as important as physicality.
“Mindset is important for a sportsman and all the footballers. You must be physically fit but above all, you must be psychologically fit."
"If you are able to control the mind then you can control your body and you can consume the right things. Then out of that will come good things," Kipchoge stated.
Kipchoge was warmly received and even lifted a gifted Manchester United shirt alongside club captain Bruno Fernandes before having a chat with Mason Mount.
“If you are sprinting for a ball, if you have the right mind then you can sprint further than your opponent. So, the key is to be positive in life, always positive every day," Kipchoge stated.
Kipchoge who has overcome much adversity in his career, delivered a concise message to the united players. He reminded them that the solution to dips in performance was in the mind rather than on the pitch.
"That's the beginning of good results and that's the beginning of real professionals. If all of the sportsman, or living people, can have positivity with each other then they are successful.”
Kipchoge further expressed his elation at Manchester United as an institution being inspired by his athletics achievements" It's a big motivation for me when people are inspired by what I am doing and when people consume the positivity and try to improve their minds. That's my happiness.”
Praising Kipchoge's sporting credentials Manchester United, termed his historic 1;59 Marathon run as a step for all mankind.
