Why Ten Hag could be a disastrous appointment for Man Utd

FT Desk

• Updated: 8 Apr 2022 10:08 BST
• 4 min read

It now seems almost certain that the next permanent manager of Manchester United will be Eric Ten Hag.

The current Ajax manager has remained close-lipped over a potential move but reports in England and the Netherlands are now convinced that the Dutch tactician will be on his way to Old Trafford at the end of this season.

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As if that wasn't enough proof, Ajax's technical director gave a huge hint when he was recently asked about Ten Hag's future at the club.

“It would be fantastic if Ten Hag is still our coach next season. He still has a contract but we all know how the world works," said Hamstra in an interview with Voetbal International.

"For now he is focused on this season, these important months. Time will tell what will happen after."

Indeed, it seems all but certain that Ten Hag will be the next Man Utd manager, but is that a good idea?

Because Van Gaal said so

Perhaps the most obvious reason why Ten Hag and Man Utd wouldn’t work is because the club itself have morphed into this bizarre sideshow that puts commercial success above sporting development.

At least that’s what former Man Utd and current Netherlands international team manager Louis Van Gaal thinks. And as a result, he doesn’t think the current Ajax boss would be wise to make the move to Manchester.

“Erik ten Hag is a great manager and that’s always good for Manchester United, but Manchester United is a commercial club. He [Ten Hag] would be better off going to a football club,” Van Gaal told reporters ahead of the Netherlands’ friendly against Germany in Amsterdam on Monday.

“I’m not going to advise him but he should choose a football club, not a commercial one.”

Ajax managers rarely travel well

However, it may not just be Ten Hag that wants to take a second look at this potential move ahead of anyone signing anything on the dotted line. Man Utd may also want to seriously consider whether the Ajax boss is right for them too.

While the Dutch club have a long and famous history for developing players, the club’s recent track record of producing managers has left a lot to be desired.

A quick glance at the managers that came before Ten Hag, shows Peter Bosz, who struggled at Borussia Dortmund and is now failing at Lyon, who replaced Frank de Boer, who also failed miserably in Italy, England, the United States and then with the national team prior to Van Gaal taking over.

The simple truth of the matter is that modern Ajax managers don’t seem to perform too well when they leave the club and that could be true of Ten Hag too if he does decide to try his luck at Old Trafford next season.