Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag is reportedly leading the race to become the next Manchester United manager. However, his former Bayern Munich colleague Pep Guardiola is unsure whether the Dutchman is a good choice for his rivals.
When quizzed about the Dutchman’s links to the Red Devils and whether or not he is a hundred per cent confident if he will bring the glory days back to Old Trafford, Guardiola simply replied by saying that he does not know. The Spaniard claimed few Sir Alex Ferguson’s successors were good managers, too, despite their spells at the club ending poorly.
“If I was 100% sure I would call Manchester United and tell those guys you have to take him. But I don’t know and nobody knows,”
“He is a good manager, there’s no doubt about it. But so were all the previous managers since Sir Alex Ferguson left.
“You cannot say David Moyes is not a good football manager and the others like Jose Mourinho or right now. All the managers that have been at United are excellent.”
Guardiola said.
As per Telegraph, United had interviewed ten Hag for the managerial position last week with incumbent Ralf Rangnick set to retire to the background once the season is over. However, the Ajax boss is not the only candidate the Red Devils are reportedly considering for the soon-to-be-vacant position; names such as Luis Enrique (Spain NT) and Mauricio Pochettino (PSG) are also on their shortlist, although ten Hag, by all accounts, remains the favorite.
Ten Hag crossed paths with Guardiola while coaching Bayer’s reserve side when the latter was in charge of the first team. The Dutchman then returned to Holland to take up the managerial position at FC Utrecht before being hired by Ajax in 2017. He has led the Amsterdam-based outfit to league titles in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 seasons while also leading them to the UEFA Champions League semifinals once.