A pair of former Dutch internationals have encouraged Erik ten Hag to make the move to Manchester United.
Ten Hag is currently waiting to give United full approval and sign a contract, with The Athletic reporting he is seeking certain assurances.
Amid the waiting game, Ten Hag’s future remains a big topic of discussion in the Netherlands, even though he does not wish to publicly comment on the rumours.
United last week decided on Ten Hag as first choice for the manager’s job for next season, ESPN reported.
Perfect timing
Former PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona winger Ibrahim Afellay told Dutch show Studio Voetbal that Ten Hag should seize the chance to go to United, because the timing is ideal.
Afellay was quoted by Ajax Showtime: “I would definitely go, if he can bend it to his will. If you are to believe the reports, he has certain requirements and that is only a good thing. Otherwise he shouldn’t make the move.
“There is no better time to get in. It looks like they are not going to qualify for the Champions League.”
Former Feyenoord, Nottingham Forest and Celtic forward Pierre van Hooijdonk also weighed in to agree on the timing being good, although said it was a double edged sword.
He said: “It is a wonderful entry point. On the other hand, it is still very restless at the moment. So the big question is whether you can calm [it] down.
“You will also have to deal with Pogba and Ronaldo. Ronaldo in particular will gradually be removed from the team again. We’ll just have to wait and see Pogba. Is he able to give these guys the bad news?”
Start from scratch
With the season Manchester United are having, it certainly does feel like a ‘start from scratch’ scenario, with the club needing to tear it all down and start again.
Whoever the new manager is, a rebuild is required, and United have to do things differently to what has been tried over the past nine years.
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Missing out on the Champions League prevents any delusions of grandeur, and really, it would actually be in the club’s interests to finish in eighth place and miss out on European football altogether.
This would give Ten Hag extra time on the training pitch with his players, and give United extra reason to trim the squad. It may even be a selling point to convince him to join.
With United’s season descending into new depths every week, the new manager would join at a low point, potentially making his job easier, in terms of there being more realistic expectations in his first couple of seasons.
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