The Red Devils are nearing an announcement regarding the appointment of a new manager starting next season. According to Telegraph, the club recently interviewed Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag, one of the frontrunners, for the job.
United are on the lookout for their fifth permanent manager since 2013, with Ralf Rangnick holding the job until the end of the season before moving into a consultancy role. Ten Hag is reportedly one of the key candidates for the position, along with Paris Saint-Germain’s Mauricio Pochettino, although others, including Luis Enrique (Spain), Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea), and Julen Lopetegui (Sevilla), too, have been linked with the role in recent weeks.
Telegraph reports that the Dutchman interviewed for the Manchester United managerial role on March 21, with the search being conducted by directors Darren Fletcher and John Murtough. An announcement from the club is unlikely to come until the entire interview process is completed, meanwhile, the coach himself had reaffirmed his commitment to Ajax in a media appearance last week.
“I am just focused on this season. All energy is being put in the current squad. I don’t think about next season. I want to get the maximum out of the current season, we can still win two trophies.”
Ten Hag had said in a recent interview.
Furthermore, as per Fabrizio Romano, the Dutchman enquired about Manchester United’s plans for the future and their projected budget towards achieving the same during the interview. Romano also reiterated that Ten hag’s English-speaking skills had improved considerably in recent years, and he feels ready to make the move to a top-five league next summer, following a long and successful stint at Ajax.
To date, Ten Hag’s only coaching experience outside of his native Netherlands was in Germany, where he trained Bayern Munich’s reserve side for two seasons. He joined the Amsterdam club in 2017 from FC Utrecht and has since led the club to two domestic titles, as well as successive UEFA Champions League appearances. Under his guidance, the Dutch giants reached the semifinals of the competition in the 2018/19 season.
