Man Utd job not the reason for Ten Hag's recent English classes
FT Desk
- 16 Mar 2022 14:55 GMT
- 3 min read
Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag has dismissed recent claims that he was brushing up on his English in order to succeed Ralf Rangnick as Manchester United manager.
Ten Hag, who has steered Ajax to two Eridivisie titles in the last three seasons as well as the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 2019, is in understandably high demand.
With Rangnick's contract as Man Utd coach expiring this summer, Ten Hag has emerged alongside Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino as one of the favourites to succeed the German in the Old Trafford hot seat.
Speaking before Ajax's Champions League last-16 loss to Benfica, Ten Haag - who already has a high level of English - dismissed claims he was brushing up on his skills with Man Utd in mind.
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Ten Hag: 'Not true!'
"No, that report's not true!" he told BT Sport with a smile. "We talk English at the club because there are a lot of foreign players in Holland, and they're already educated in English."
Ajax's foreign contingent - alongside four Dutchman - were in the starting line-up against Benfica, but they were powerless to stop Benfica from progressing thanks to Darwin Nunez's 77th-minute goal.
Erik ten Hag at Man Utd? 👀 pic.twitter.com/9bVjizAmo4
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) March 6, 2022
Ajax and Man Utd suffered similar fates in midweek, with the English side also edged by a single Atletico Madrid goal; Ronan Lodi's first-half header enough for a 1-0 win on the night and a 2-1 aggregate score overall.
Asked about his future ahead of the game, Ten Haag reiterated his commitment to Ajax.
"I don't think Man Utd is an issue today. I'm focused on our match, and I don't pay any attention to other subjects. At the moment, I am only working with Ajax and have no further thoughts on the future."
Ten Hag would be the second Dutchman to take charge of United after Louis van Gaal, who won the FA Cup in a two-year spell with the club between 2014 and 2016.
