Ten Hag's ex-club to raid Man Utd for key man
Tom Weber
- Updated: 19 Oct 2023 08:20 BST
- 4 min read
Erik ten Hag's former club Ajax are having a torrid season and they could now look to Old Trafford for a solution to their woes.
The Dutch giants are in the midst of a record-breaking campaign - for all the wrong reasons. After enduring their worst start to an Eredivisie season in 60 years, the legendary side are languishing in 16th, the Dutch top flight's relegation playoff spot, with just five points from the opening six games.
However, Ajax's struggles haven't just come out of nowhere. The Amsterdam giants already underwhelmed last term as they missed out on the Champions League and watched hated rivals Feyenoord storm to the title under Arne Slot, while PSV won the cup under Ruud van Nistelrooy.
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Maurice Steijn has been the unfortunate soul tasked with turning things around, but unsurprisingly he hasn't got the job done and has been under pressure since arriving. Off the pitch, too, the club have been a mess. Sporting director Sven Mislintat, formerly of Arsenal and Dortmund, was recently sacked for dodgy dealings, while the fans vandalised the club's home ground because of an embarrassing derby loss to Feyenoord.
Could a Man Utd coach save them?
Ajax eye Ten Hag assistant
According to Dutch media, Ajax are looking at Mitchell van der Gaag as a leftfield option for the coaching position. Van der Gaag is one of Ten Hag's assistants, the other being former England boss Steve McClaren who also has Eredivisie experience, famously leading Twente - who are currently third - to a league title.
Van der Gaag and Ten Hag have been working together since 2021. Before that, the Dutchman operated in his native country, Portugal and Cyprus. Crucially, Ten Hag's assistant showed during his time as a head coach that he wants his teams to play attacking football, and he coached the Ajax reserves before heading to Old Trafford with his compatriot.
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While Ten Hag would be loathe to lose one of his key colleagues, it may be out of his hands. According to Soccernews.nl, "Van der Gaag is open to standing on his own two feet again. Ajax is one of the clubs that can convince him."
The Dutch outlet even goes so far as to state that "the possible arrival of Van der Gaag is reminiscent of that of Erik ten Hag in the winter of 2017. Ten Hag also had little experience of working at a top level at the time, but [Marc] Overmars and [Edwin] Van der Sar believed that with the right selection of players he could take the club back to the top."
