Ballon d’Or winner Ruud Gullit has claimed that people in the Netherlands were ‘surprised’ when Manchester United appointed Erik ten Hag as their new head coach.
Ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford in 2022 after leaving Eredivisie side Ajax, with the 53-year-old Dutchman succeeding ex-interim manager Ralf Rangnick at United.
The former Ajax boss enjoyed incredible success with the Dutch club, including engineering their stunning semi-final run in the 2018-19 Champions League season.
Ten Hag, who has come under mounting pressure this season, made a name for himself at Ajax after lifting three Eredivisie titles and two Dutch Cups with the club.
The ex-Utrecht and Bayern Munich II manager impressed during his debut season at United, with Ten Hag leading the Red Devils to the Carabao Cup trophy.
Along with his first major piece of silverware at United, Ten Hag secured his side’s return to the Champions League and led them to an FA Cup final last season.
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Gullit on Ten Hag’s appointment at United
Speaking on Up Front With Simon Jordan, Chelsea and AC Milan legend Gullit talked about Ten Hag and his reaction to United’s appointment of his fellow countryman.
“Manchester United were changing coaches for all manner of reasons and then all of a sudden they took on Erik ten Hag, which was also a surprise for people in Holland,” he told Jordan.
“I think he has a difficult task. He didn’t have a background which suggested that he would be able to deal with the pressures of managing Manchester United, so for United to pick him was a risk for the club as well as ten Hag himself.
“He comes from the east of Holland, he talks in a different way to most people in the country, which meant that going to Ajax in Amsterdam was actually difficult for him, but he managed to do really well.
“He was very calm and did his thing and he almost won the Champions League with Ajax, beating the likes of Real Madrid on the way.”
Ten Hag is the right man for United
Ten Hag is under fire at United this season over his side’s disappointing start, with the Red Devils suffering a shock 4-3 defeat to FC Copenhagen on Wednesday.
While United’s Champions League hopes are in a precarious situation, it would be futile to axe the Dutchman now and start all over again with a new manager.
Ten Hag has the backing of legendary figures like Sir Alex Ferguson behind him, with the ex-Ajax head coach now needing fans to show their unwavering support for him.
It’s been a tough start to the Premier League campaign, but United can bounce back and Ten Hag needs time to make all of the changes he needs to his squad.
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