Manchester United appoint Ten Hag as incoming manager

Manchester United have finally announced Dutch Coach Erik Ten Hag on a four-year contract starting from the end of the season.

“Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Erik ten Hag as Men’s First Team Manager, subject to work visa requirements, from the end of this season until June 2025, with the option to extend for a further year,” club wrote in a statement on its website.

The current Ajax manager has been on the United radar for months as a substantive replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who left last November because of the poor performances from the 20-time Premier League champions.

Meanwhile, Ralf Rangnick, who joined on an interim basis, did not change the mind of United’s board in their pursuit of Ten Hag with several consultations made in the last three months to woo the Dutchman to Old Trafford.

According to United’s Sports Director, John Murtough, the reason Manchester United stuck to Hag is for a long-lasting development they have seen him achieve in his previous workplace.

“During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team’s attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth.

“In our conversations with Erik leading up to this appointment, we were deeply impressed with his long-term vision for returning Manchester United to the level we want to be competing at, and his drive and determination to achieve that.

“We wish Erik the best of luck as he focuses on achieving a successful end to the season at Ajax and look forward to welcoming him to Manchester United this summer.”

Meanwhile, the Dutch Coach, who turned down many offers from several German clubs, assured fans of his huge commitment.

“It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead. I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.

“It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United.”

Background

Hag, a UEFA Pro license coach, began his coaching career in 2012 with Go Ahead Eagles where he spent a season with the Eerste Divisie with a landmark record of getting the club promoted to the first division after 17 years.

Leaving the Dutch side, Hag joined Bayern Munich II, where he spent two years.

He returned to the Netherlands as the Sporting Director and Head Coach of FC Utrecht in the summer of 2015, where he led them to the fifth place, then subsequent season clinched a Europa spot for them.

Ten Hag’s biggest coaching career move came when he moved to Ajax in 2017.

Two years later, he won the league title alongside the KNVB cup. He also took Ajax to the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1997.

During his four-year spell with Ajax, Ten Hag played 210 games, won 155, drew 26, and lost 29.

Tactics

Ten Hag is known to be an apostle of Pep Guardiola’s tactical management. He often employs the 4-3-3 formation.

Club signings

According to SkySports, United will offer Ten Hag £200 million for signing players.

“Erik ten Hag is set to get £200m to spend on signings at Manchester United this summer, while up to 12 players could be leaving,” SkySports reports.

Manchester United are sixth on the EPL table after suffering a calamitous 4-0 drubbing away to Liverpool on Tuesday. They have five matches left in the season to snag a desired Champions League spot.