David Ornstein reports Manchester United verbal agreement with Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag over permanent manager job
According to football journalist David Ornstein of The Athletic on Twitter, Manchester United have taken a significant step in their pursuit of appointing their next permanent manager by reaching a verbal agreement with Ajax Amsterdam boss Erik ten Hag.
Ever since the English side sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer late last year after he led the team to a string of poor results that saw them drop down the Premier League table, the club have been on the hunt for someone to replace him as permanent manager.
They brought in Ralf Rangnick from Lokomotiv Moscow to act as the side’s interim manager, appointed until the summer and tasked with cleaning up Solskjaer’s mess and leading the team up the league table.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Man Utd reach verbal agreement in principle with Erik Ten Hag to become next permanent manager. #MUFC will need agreement with #Ajax (who are aware) & to finalise contract (up to 4yrs). No announcement til after Dutch Cup final @TheAthleticUK https://t.co/VTVzg6gCGx
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) April 12, 2022
Thus far, the German has not been successful in doing so, with the team sitting seventh in the table. They are six points away from fourth place, and could very well stand a chance of missing out on qualifying for the Champions League next season.
One step closer to ten Hag
Ornstein has now revealed that the managerial hunt is finally about to end for the Manchester side, with ten Hag and the club reaching a verbal agreement for the 52-year-old to take over from next season onwards.
His current team Ajax are said to be aware of this development and will finalise an agreement for letting the Dutchman leave Holland and sign a contract for up to four years in England. However, an announcement regarding the same will not be made until the end of the KNVB Cup final, where the Amsterdam side faces PSV Eindhoven.
ten Hag could possibly lead Ajax to a domestic double by the end of the current campaign if he manages to beat PSV in the upcoming cup final, while also standing a good chance of winning the Eredivisie title as his side sit on top of the league table.
He is a serial winner in Holland, on course to win a hat-trick of league titles for the Dutch giants – all won under his tenure. A couple of domestic cup competitions have also been won by the head coach, adding to his trophy cabinet in his native country.
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With United taking one step closer to appointing ten Hag as their new manager, it will be interesting to see how he fares in England, having never managed a senior squad outside of the Netherlands. The Premier League is arguably the toughest league to settle into, given the fast-paced nature and physicality of the competition, which is unforgiving to both players and managers.
The Ajax boss, if he does end up going through with this move to United, will need to dig deep and come to play with his best tactics to succeed. Boasting an impressive CV and a trophy cabinet, all eyes will be on him to see if he becomes the man to break the Red Devils’ five-year trophy drought.
