Five months to the day since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked, Manchester United have appointed Erik ten Hag as their new manager.
Ralf Rangnick came in as interim boss at the end of November, but the idea from United‘s hierarchy was to appoint a permanent coach when the right candidate came along, with the German then going into a two-year consultancy role at the end of the season.
It appeared as though Paris Saint-Germain‘s Mauricio Pochettino was the preferred candidate at the start of the search, but as the weeks and months went on, Ajax‘s Ten Hag became a more popular option amongst the English club’s board members and supporters.
Ten Hag appointment
Finally, on April 21, Manchester United confirmed that Ten Hag has been appointed as their new manager, starting from the end of the season. He has penned a three-year deal at Old Trafford with the option to extend it for a further year.
“It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead,” Ten Hag said in a statement on Manchester United‘s website.
“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.”
John Murtough, Manchester United‘s football director, also discussed Ten Hag‘s appointment and highlighted the style of football the Dutch coach looks to implement.
“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,” Murtough said.
“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.”
Marca
