Erik ten Hag is reported to be close to an agreement with Manchester United, but he would not be drawn on the rumours at the weekend.
The Dutch media were persistent in their questioning of Ten Hag before and after Ajax’s 2-1 win over Sparta Rotterdam at the weekend.
Ten Hag showed his bristly side as he began to get a little irritated with the questioning from the media.
Asked about the vacant United post, Ten Hag told De Telegraaf: “We will play the cup final against PSV next week. I’ll focus on that if you don’t mind.”
The Mail reported when pressed for an answer, he responded: “Questions about the game or I am going inside.”
In further exchanges he rejected an appeal to bring clarity to the situation.
Ten Hag is his own man
It is interesting seeing how Ten Hag reacts in these circumstances. Dealing with difficult questions from the media is part of the brief at Manchester United.
Ralf Rangnick is completely transparent in how he communicates, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer always wore a smile, but often was economical with the truth.
Ten Hag appears to take a more adversarial approach to the media, appearing irritated with the line of questioning he took a defensive attitude to try and bat it off. It certainly benefitted him that Ajax won the game.
It will be fascinating to see how Ten Hag adapts at Old Trafford under the scrutiny of the unforgiving English press. Is he able to withstand the pressure which comes with it?
Former Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas arrived in England with a similar glowing reputation in 2011 after breaking records at Porto, and lasted less than a season at Chelsea, and little more at Tottenham. He could not get on with the media and they did not respond well to his less than friendly approach.
Ten Hag is used to scrutiny in the Netherlands, but it will be ramped up a level in England. Former star Ruud Gullit warned him at the weekend over the pressure Manchester United’s ex-players bring to the role via their punditry duties.
He showed a glimpse at the weekend of his approach when put under pressure. It will be up to Ten Hag to decide whether he wishes to alter this at all if he ends up at Old Trafford. If he is unwelcoming towards the media and refuses to indulge them, then he will only be making his own job more difficult, as the tabloids would love to write him off as ‘out of his depth’ at the first opportunity they get.
- Erik Ten Hag’s managerial record and style of play
- Erik Ten Hag’s five most expensive transfers
- Ajax’s last five managers before Ten Hag and where they are now
- Five Ajax players Ten Hag could sign for Manchester United
- Ten Hag’s comments when Van de Beek left Ajax for Old Trafford
- Six key issues for Manchester United’s next boss
- The three biggest wins of Ten Hag’s managerial career
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
