Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
TEN HAG KEEN ON UNITED
ERIK TEN HAG is ready to answer Manchester United’s SOS – and the Dutchman is also open to having Ralf Rangnick alongside him on the bench.
Ten Hag has hinted he is looking for a new challenge after Marc Overmars’ shameful exit as Ajax’s director of football prompted him to consider his own future at the Amsterdam club.
He is also growing frustrated by the huge turnover of players he has to deal with because of Ajax’s policy of selling top talent – and the constant challenge of rebuilding his team.
Ten Hag, 52, said: “The lifespan of our team has always been short in recent years. I understood – and still understand – the sale of players.
“But you can hardly cope with such bloodletting if you want to continue to play a significant role in the Champions League.
“You need giant players for that – and Ajax cannot buy that calibre of player.”
Ten Hag has worked closely with Overmars (below) to turn Ajax back into Holland’s most dominant club.
The four-time European champions are chasing their third successive Eredivisie title and will move into the Champions League quarter-finals if they beat Benfica in Amsterdam on Tuesday night after drawing the first leg 2-2.
Ajax were just seconds away from reaching the 2019 final.
Ten Hag has strong support inside Old Trafford – including interim boss Rangnick – that he can be the man to revive the Reds, with Mauricio Pochettino also in the frame.
United are monitoring Thomas Tuchel’s position at Chelsea, too.
But they have so far resisted the temptation to make even tentative contact with the German, as he digests the shock of seeing the Blues placed in limbo by the Government’s decision to sanction Russian owner Roman Abramovich.
Ten Hag’s willingness to forge a strong relationship with a director of football could give him an edge.
Rangnick will take up a two-year consultancy role at Old Trafford at the end of the season and would be an experienced sounding board for any new manager.
Ten Hag said: “I can only see the advantages of a sporting director.
“They will back you up and will also take away all the hassle with football agents.
“That way I can fully concentrate on the team and the development of the players.”