'Unbelievable' Ten Hag praised with United urged to land Van der Sar too
Manchester United’s moves to hire Erik ten Hag are moving ever closer, with The Telegraph reporting a deal is 99 per cent done.
The Dutchman could be announced next week, with United keen to respect Ajax’s upcoming KNVB Cup final this Sunday.
Former Manchester United goalkeeping coach Eric Steele worked with Ten Hag during his time at Dutch side Utrecht, when invited by an Aston Villa player he had previously coached.
Steele was hugely impressed with what he saw of Ten Hag’s meticulous approach and compared him to Pep Guardiola.
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Big impression
Steele, who worked under Sir Alex Ferguson between 2008 and 2013, was clearly impressed with that he saw from Ten Hag.
Steele told The Athletic: “He was very thorough, unbelievable detail — like Pep Guardiola. When we lose the ball in this area this is what we do’. ‘This is how to win the ball in this situation’. Specific moments in games mapped out.
“He was also coaching his players when to go for the jugular and when to retain possession. I liked his manner.”
The former United goalkeeping coach also worked with Edwin van der Sar at Old Trafford, and he currently works as Ajax’s chief executive.
Steel remarked he would like to see Van der Sar also make the switch to Old Trafford in some capacity along with Ten Hag, commenting: “They would be a dream duo.”
Van der Sar has been linked to United, on and off, through the years, especially after Ed Woodward finally stepped down.
United instead chose to promote commercial director Richard Arnold, so for now, unless Van der Sar was prepared to accept a more junior role, any move to bring him back to the Theatre of Dreams would have to wait.
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