Kieran McKenna praises incoming Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag is busy finalising plans for his coaching staff at Manchester United, Fabrizio Romano told Five this week.
Ten Hag’s switch to manage United will likely be announced after the Dutch Cup final, with The Telegraph reporting it is ’99 per cent’ done.
Steve McClaren and Robin van Persie are both being considered as assistants, The Mail report, along with his Ajax coach Mitchell van der Gaag.
One man who won’t be in the mix is Kieran McKenna, who quit Rangnick’s United back in December after working under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Northern Irishman has however, said he is looking forward to seeing how Ten Hag gets on at Old Trafford.
HITC's New Kid On The Block - ERIC TV
McKenna told Sky Sports: “Erik ten Hag’s a fantastic coach, I’ve enjoyed watching his Ajax team over the last few years, they are a team I’ve watched quite a lot of and really enjoyed the style of play he’s managed to impart there.
“I think as a Manchester United fan, all Manchester United fans want to see is a successful team on the pitch and I’m sure they will be working hard to make steps in the right direction during the course of the off-season.”
- Seven attacking players Erik ten Hag could sign for Manchester United
- Seven defensive players Erik ten Hag could sign for Manchester United
McKenna left United to take up a job at Ipswich Town in December, enthused by the chance to step up from his role as assistant.
The early signs have been positive, Ipswich are ninth in League One, and McKenna has made a solid start.
He is certainly better off making the decision to leave United, as the club’s form over the past few months would not have done his coaching CV many favours.
United’s dismal run has accelerated the need to hire a new manager at the end of this season, and prompted the club to get a move on, with fans growing restless.
As McKenna notes, Ten Hag is a hugely exciting manager, who those in coaching circles look up to and revere highly.
Steve McClaren, one of the men in contention to work under him, actually had Ten Hag on his coaching staff at Utrecht, and recently spoke highly of him, telling The Telegraph: “I thought I worked hard until I met Erik.
“I had never seen anything like it before or since. For both individuals and for the team the work was the best I had seen. The detail was logged even down to what the coaches would be wearing on each day, and that we would all come out together. He had planned what equipment had to be carried out and when it had to be brought back in.”
With all the troubles at United, Ten Hag can further enhance his reputation by becoming the man who puts it all right.
It is a brave choice on his part to take on such a poisoned chalice, and United are better off for his ambition and willingness to come on board.
- 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
