Jonas Hofmann: Erik ten Hag "wants to build on" foundations laid by Alonso | OneFootball

In a recent interview with Kicker, Jonas Hofmann gave insights into life under Bayer Leverkusen's new head coach Erik ten Hag.

The 32-year-old clearly wants to regain a regular spot in the team which he lost last season under former gaffer Xabi Alonso.

"The plan is very clear: to be part of the starting lineup again. New coach, new opportunity.

"I already had a brief chat [with Erik ten Hag], and I think the chemistry is right for now. The good thing about me is that I'm flexible, that I can play both on the wing and more centrally.

“I try to bring my experience to the table, to ensure a clear game, which is what I stand for and I hope the coach is on board with that too,” he explained.

Hofmann went on to talk about ten Hag's football philosophy and what the Netherlands head coach wants to achieve with Die Werkself.

"He wants a lot of security in possession and good positional play. We've seen that in the first two days.

"We're trying to get to grips with his basic principles as quickly, but he formulates and addresses them very clearly and concisely. It's fun because we do a lot with the ball.

"The coach has said that he wants to build on Xabi's work over the last two years. These basic things, the foundation of our game, are very, very similar.

“But of course he still has his own ideas. And I believe that when he brings his ideas to the table, we will learn something new and hopefully become even better,” he added.