The difficulty with Manchester United looking to hire Erik Ten Hag right now has always been his devotion to seeing out the season with Ajax.
So United’s declaration of intent to hire an interim boss before a permanent one, keeps the door open for the Dutchman.
Ten Hag’s Ajax won on Sunday with a spectacular 5-0 win away at RKC Waaljwijk.
After the game he was quizzed by ESPN Netherlands about the United links, with Sky Sports reporting Ten Hag is ‘interested’ in the job.
Quoted by Sport Nieuws, Ten Hag said: “I can’t do anything with it and I focus completely on this team.
“I’m at Ajax, we have a very nice selection and we want to go for titles. I don’t know anything, I haven’t heard anything and I’m not concerned with that.”
United will have to wait
Ten Hag’s comments do not rule out taking the job on next summer, but they do nothing to encourage an approach at this moment.
If he is the manager United have set their sights on, then it is totally understandable; he ticks nearly all the right boxes.
Ten Hag is tactically astute, has a proven record of bringing through youth players, and plays attacking football.
Ajax this season are unbeaten, scoring 42 goals in 13 matches, and have only conceded two goals.
It is a quite staggeringly flawless record, which also extends to Ajax’s Champions League performances too.
Ten Hag’s Ajax sit top of a group with Borussia Dortmund and Sporting, with four wins from four.
The way they are playing, they could be among the favourites to go all the way.
It’s possible we could see United against Ajax in the knockout rounds too, what a story that would end up being. But United have to get there first. A key result is needed against Villarreal on Tuesday night.
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