Man Utd appoint Erik ten Hag
MANCHESTER UNITED players have been told Ajax boss Ten Hag will be their new manager, and work has already begun to restructure the club’s scouting network
United’s players were informed Ajax boss Ten Hag will become the club’s new permanent manager, with a formal announcement expected after Saturday’s Premier League trip to Arsenal.
Tuesday’s humiliating 4-0 defeat away to archrivals Liverpool underlined the scale of the task ahead of Ten Hag and the rebuilding job the 52-year-old Dutchman faces at United.
“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,” said
Ten Hag. The overhauling process has already begun with the jettisoning of United’s top scouts, ahead of a radical overhaul of the scouting structure at the club in a bid to address the club’s poor player recruitment in recent years. United’s chief scout, Jim Lawlor, and Marcel Bout, head of global scouting, have both left the club.
Northern Ireland-born Lawlor joined United in 2005 under Sir Alex Ferguson and was promoted to chief scout in 2014. Dutchman Bout came in under compatriot and former United boss Louis van Gaal, initially as a coach, before moving into a scouting role.