New manager news: Manchester United make contact with Ajax boss Erik ten Hag over managerial job
According to journalist Jonathan Shrager on Twitter, Manchester United have set the ball rolling in their hunt for their new permanent manager in the summer, contacting Ajax Amsterdam boss Erik ten Hag.
The club is on the lookout for someone to take up the reins at Old Trafford once current head coach Ralf Rangnick finishes his tenure as interim manager at the end of the season. The German was brought in from Lokomotiv Moscow late last year to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
ten Hag is said to have caught the eye of the United chiefs, given his excellent record in the Eredivisie over the past few years with Ajax. This term too, the Dutch club are currently on top of the league table in Holland.
Red Devils loanee Donny van de Beek will be well aware of how good the manager is, given that the pair worked together at Ajax and won a few league titles. van de Beek was also part of the young side that ten Hag led to the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2018/19 season, winning plaudits from the footballing world.
Contact established
Now, it looks like the Dutchman may make a move to England, with club executives at the Theatre of Dreams said to have contacted the manager to understand his situation and see if he can be tempted to join them in the summer.
The 52-year-old would bring his experience in winning league titles and developing youth players to United at the end of the season if all goes well, which is exactly what the Red Devils need. Their past few managerial appointments have not worked well, so they need the next one to be spot on.
There seems to be an air of expectation and major changes at Old Trafford next season, with the club looking to kick-start a fresh era of building up the club to where it belongs. Over the past years, the side have failed to impress, and last won silverware in 2017.
For a team that boasts of talented players, it seems to lack a manager who can take control of the squad and utilise the stars properly, in the club’s best interests. ten Hag’s CV seems to indicate that he is a man capable of handling this responsibility, which explains the Manchester side’s interest in him.
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United are taking the job of appointing their next permanent manager very seriously after their previous gaffes. It is said that a shortlist of potential candidates has been drawn up, and ten Hag is right on top of the list.
It remains to be seen whether ten Hag will accept the offer from United in the summer, but all signs seem to be pointing at the fact that the Dutchman may be the perfect fit at Old Trafford. Only time will tell if we can manage to convince the manager to swap Holland for England.