Manchester United must convince Ajax boss Erik ten Hag amid interest from two European clubs- Dutch football expert

According to Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan (h/t Sky Sports), Manchester United will need to step up their efforts in order to land Ajax Amsterdam boss Erik ten Hag, who has interest from two other European clubs.

The Dutchman is currently busy leading Ajax to a hat-trick of league titles in the Eredivisie and has been hugely impressive with his achievements and style of play at the club during his tenure. This is certainly enough to make him an ideal candidate for the vacant permanent manager position at United.

van der Kraan, however, said that the Red Devils were only one of the sides who were in pursuit of the Ajax boss, saying that there are three major opportunities for the manager in the summer, with the English club only one of them.

“There are three major opportunities for Erik ten Hag. Manchester United is only one of them. I don’t want to dampen the excitement in England but maybe United have not done all the work yet.” 

The Premier League side is currently managed by Ralf Rangnick, who was appointed late last year on an interim basis until the end of the season and tasked with guiding the club to a top-four finish in the league in order to finish strongly.

“ten Hag is very excited”

United have plans to decide on their next permanent boss well before the summer and are planning to speak to a number of candidates that they have identified. The English side has also met with ten Hag regarding the availability of the vacancy at Old Trafford, in order to assess whether the Dutchman has the right qualities to lead the team.

van der Kraan, however, seems to be intent on raining on the parade as he revealed that two other major clubs, who play in the UCL and have strong chances to win league titles have also talked to ten Hag about a job in the summer – one of which the Ajax boss is very excited about.

“Yes, they’ve had positive talks with Ten Hag but so have two other major clubs in Europe. These are clubs who play Champions League football and who have chances to win titles in their own country. One of those clubs is very concrete for Ten Hag, and I think that is on mainland Europe – not in England. I know for a fact that Ten Hag is very excited about that job too.”

Clearly, there seems to be a massive interest in the 52-year-old manager in the summer, but it should come as no surprise to those who know what the Ajax boss is capable of. Cup competitions have been won easily under ten Hag, and the Dutch giants have not let their grip on the league fall away easily.

Even in Europe, Ajax have punched above their weight and made it to the knockout stages of the tournament regularly in recent years. Their semi-final run in 2019 was remarkable under ten Hag, as a young and exciting Dutch team won plaudits from everyone for their performances. United themselves brought in Donny van de Beek to Old Trafford from Ajax, but that move hasn’t really worked out yet, with the player now on loan at a struggling Everton.

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With United going their fifth year without winning a trophy, an elite manager with experience in winning silverware and building strong squads is a priority in the summer. Past managers have been unsuccessful in their attempts, as van der Kraan hinted that ten Hag may be wary of the recent history that the club has had with their head coach appointments.

However, there is nothing definitive to prove that ten Hag cannot succeed in England. The fact that the Red Devils have already interviewed him shows that they are extremely keen on the Dutchman and have been impressed with his work in the Dutch capital, but they need to be quick with getting back to him with a response so they do not lose him to other European teams.