Man United coach open to potential move; club want him as manager

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Manchester United assistant manager Mitchell Van der Gaag would be open to a return to Ajax as the Dutch side have earmarked him as their next potential manager.

Mitchell Van der Gaag joined Manchester United alongside Erik ten Hag last summer and the assistant has made a big impact at Old Trafford.

However, Ajax, Ten Hag’s former side, have been struggling as of late with their current manager Maurice Steijn failing to get the best out of the team who sit 16th in the Eredivisie after just one win in six games.

Van der Gaag, alongside others, has been earmarked as a potential candidate for the role and, according to a report from Dutch outlet Soccer News, the United assistant is high on the list of targets.

Van der Gaag open to move

The Dutch assistant is willing to listen to the proposal of the Dutch side and would be ready to ‘stand on his own two feet’ as the head coach of Ajax, according to the report.

Ajax are a club that could ‘convince him’ and the Dutch side sees it as a move that would be reminiscent of Ten Hag’s arrival in 2017.

The United boss also had little experience working at the top level at that time, but Marc Overmars and Edwin van der Sar believed he could take the club back up the ladder with the right group of players.

Those currently in charge of the club, which includes Louis Van Gaal as a consultant, believe Van der Gaag can have the same impact as Ten Hag did.

Ten Hag’s Mourinho moment

All the indications from the Dutch report suggest that both club and coach are willing to reunite, so it seems that Ten Hag may well have a battle on his hands to hold onto the talented coach.

These talents, according to The Athletic, are his communication skills and his willingness to adapt to several players’ demands, which has made him such a popular figure wherever he has worked.

Losing Van der Gaag could be a big issue for Ten Hag and the hope will be the Dutchman rejects the advances of Ajax.

This has echoes of Jose Mourinho losing his assistant Rui Faria when managing United, a foil for the Portuguese’s more aggressive outbursts. Mourinho was sacked six months later.

The hope will be that a similar scenario doesn’t occur in six months’ time at Old Trafford.