Erik ten Hag: Why Manchester United have opted for Ajax boss over Mauricio Pochettino

Manchester United are closing in on the appointment of Erik Ten Hag, who will be handed a remit to rebuild the club’s playing squad and summer funds in a huge show of faith in the Ajax manager.

Dutch sources claim a deal is now at an advanced stage with compensation and terms of Ten Hag’s contract now under discussion. Manchester United say the process is yet to be completed but there is a feeling at Ajax that it is now only a matter of time before a deal is finalised and Ten Hag is confirmed at Old Trafford.

The 52-year-old confirmed last week that he had held an interview with Manchester United and hailed it a “great club with great fans”.

It is a risk to appoint a manager with no experience of the Premier League to arguably its highest-profile job but Ten Hag impressed in talks with the Manchester United hierarchy and his favoured playing style, high regard on the training field and commitment to improving young players have all gone in his favour.

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Mauricio Pochettino was the club’s other option but the costs associated with prising him from Paris Saint Germain and the underwhelming record he has in France have both swung the decision in Ten Hag’s favour.

The former FC Utrecht coach is the choice of a majority of supporters and will get full backing to embark on a substantial rebuild of a squad that could see double figure numbers of exits in the close season.

i understands that Ten Hag has already begun background work on what will be required at Manchester United, and wants an assistant manager with experience of English football. Steve McClaren, Robin van Persie and Rene Meulensteen have all been mentioned as possible additions to any backroom staff.

Recruitment plans have already begun for the summer with the club once again ready to push the boat out to bring in high calibre additions. West Ham’s outstanding England midfielder Declan Rice is on a list of candidates and Benfica striker Darwin Nunez, who impressed mightily against Liverpool, is another being considered.

But any new boss will be given the chance to stamp his own authority on the recruitment, with Ten Hag keen to recommend Ajax’s Brazilian winger Antony.

As i reported last week, predecessor Ralf Rangnick is set to be given a backseat “hands off” advisory role – although it remains to be seen whether Ten Hag decides to tap into his knowledge and drill him for information gleaned from his disappointing six month interim spell.

Is Ten Hag the right man?

By Katherine Lucas, i sports journalist

In the end, Ten Hag’s two Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups have prevailed amid doubts over Pochettino’s PSG reign.

United were keen that after the admittedly self-imposed short termism of Ralf Rangnick, their new manager would be able to offer a long-term vision. On that point, both Ten Hag and Pochettino have track records, but the latter has stumbled through the biggest job of his career so far in Ligue 1.

There have been question marks over Pochettino’s handling of high-profile personalities. Early on, Lionel Messi refused to shake his hand after being taken off, he has been jeered by fans, and his role looked to be in some doubt when his side threw away a 2-0 lead to crash out of the Champions League to Real Madrid.

Some of Ten Hag’s finest hours have come in Europe, seconds away from guiding Ajax to the Champions League final in 2019 (ironically, on that occasion, beaten by Pochettino’s Spurs).

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Since then, he has set about rebuilding Ajax, losing Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Donny van de Beek, and Hakim Ziyech. United’s board know there are no quick fixes to their current plight and have faith that he is the man to take charge of their own youngsters, such as Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga.

There were finances to take into account too. When Tottenham tried to rehire Pochettino last summer, they faced a huge bill of around £15m to convince PSG to let him go, whereas the compensation package for Ten Hag is reportedly closer to £4m.

It is undoubtedly a factor for United, whose hiring and firing managers has proven costly. It set them back a combined £26m to pay off Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

It is still an enormous risk. Pochettino is a known over-achiever, from keeping Espanyol up to thriving with Southampton and revolutionising Tottenham.

A few struggles at the notoriously problematic Parc des Princes, where even Thomas Tuchel was ultimately overcome by political wrangling, should not have denied him a return to the Premier League, but it appears that is the decision United have made.



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