DUTCH MANAGER IN
EXCLUSIVE AJAX boss Erik ten Hag has put himself in the frame to become Manchester United’s next manager – by turning a bunch of Premier League journeymen into Champions League record-breakers.
Ten Hag’s side confirmed their place in European’s football’s top club competition in midweek by securing a perfect record of six victories in a group that included Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon and Besiktas.
It is the first time the Dutch giants have won their opening six games in the Champions League – including when they lifted the trophy in 1995.
Ajax are also at the summit of the Eredivisie table and on course to win their third successive title.
United have identified Ten Hag as the manager who can bring back the glory days – and the 51-year-old’s midweek admission that he is seeking a new challenge has opened the door for the Reds. Ten Hag ticks all the boxes. United pride themselves on having a homegrown player in every first-team squad for the past 83 years.
Ten Hag nurtured talents like Hakim
Ziyech, Frenkie de
Jong, Matthijs de
Ligt and United’s
Donny van de Beek before Ajax sold them for big money.
And he has built his current team on youngsters such as
Ryan Gravenberch,
Jurrien Timber,
Noussair Mazraoui and Devyne Rensch.
The Dutchman’s ability to pull performances out of players who failed to make the grade in the
Premier League has also caught the eye of United’s American owners.
Sebastien Haller,
Daley Blind, Davy Klaassen, Steven Berghuis, Dusan Tadic and Maarten Stekelenburg are all thriving under Ten Hag in Amsterdam after spending time in the Premier League.
Haller is a former West Ham flop who scored just 14 goals in 54 appearances for the Hammers following his £45million arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019.
He was signed by Ajax for £20m last year – and has scored 18 goals in 19 games this season – including 10 in Europe to equal Cristiano Ronaldo’s record. Haller said: “I owe my good form to Ten Hag. He is one of the best coaches in the world.”
Blind (left), 31, came through the ranks at Ajax before moving to United for £14m in 2014. He helped Louis van Gaal win the FA Cup and Jose Mourinho win the League Cup and Europa League, but made just 17 appearances in his final season before being sold back to Ajax at a small profit.
Blind suffered heart failure during a game two years ago, but has been fitted with a defibrillator and will be going to next year’s World Cup with Holland. Klaassen (inset, middle) also returned to Ajax after a nightmare in England
The 28-year-old midfielder joined Everton for £25m in 2017, but started just three Premier League games before being loaned to Werder Bremen and sold back to Ajax at a £12m loss.
Ten Hag has unlocked Klaassen’s attacking potential – he has scored 26 goals for club and country over the last 12 months – and Dutch legend Arnold Muhren enthused recently: “Only people who know what football at the top level is about see Davy’s qualities.”
Berghuis will also be going to the World Cup – five years after Watford sold him to Feyenoord for a nominal fee after he made just nine appearances at Vicarage Road following his £5m arrival from AZ Alkmaar.
Ten Hag has used him as a No.10 since he arrived from Ajax’s rivals in the summer – and he has excelled. Tadic (inset, below), 33, became a big favourite of Southampton’s fans during four years at St Mary’s.
But it was only after he moved to Amsterdam for £12m three years ago that the Serbian began performing with real consistency.
Tadic has scored 82 goals and assisted in another 80 more and was outstanding as Ajax came within seconds of reaching the Champions League final in 2019.
Stekelenburg is currently sidelined by injury.
But, after spending two years on the substitutes’ bench at Everton, the 39-year-old keeper was Holland’s No.1 at last summer’s Euros following an outstanding season.