Talks have been held between Erik Ten Hag and Manchester United as the pursuit for a new manager is well underway. Tier 1 journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed this and stated Ten Hag was interviewed by the club.
Talks Held Between Erik Ten Hag and Manchester United
Promising Talks
While United have reportedly stressed they will be speaking to other candidates for the vacant role, it is said they were impressed with Ten Haq and promising talks were held. The Dutchman has improved his english which is a positive sign. Ten Hag quizzed the club regarding their plans for the future and what their transfer budget will be in the summer. Ajax will also not stand in his way as he is said to be ‘ready’ for a premier league challenge. Mauricio Pochettino is understood to be the other prime candidate along with Ten Hag who is heavily linked to the role. The compensation fee will be larger to lure Pochettino from Paris Saint Germain while Ten Hag only has one year remaining on his Ajax contract so the fee is said to be in the region of 4-5 million euros. Ten Hag’s ability to build a competitive side consistently at Ajax has impressed United as over the last few years talented players such as Hakim Ziyech and Donny Van de Beek have been snapped up by premier league clubs. Despite this, Ten Hag has managed to re-build this Ajax side and United want to hire someone who will provide long-term success, therefore this is an extremely positive sign.
Announcement Soon?
David Ornstein stated the club would like to get the hunt for a new manager wrapped up by the end of this month. It is expected United will speak to other candidates over the next few days and it will be interesting to see if similar reports emerge with other candidates. Ten Hag looks to be the man the fans want as his current side play a modern brand of football. Pochettino’s image and value has taken a certain hit as his side was knocked out of the Champions League recently. While he did a magnificent job at Spurs with incredibly limited resources, he did not win any silverware. Sir Alex Ferguson is understood to be a huge admirer of the Argentinian and the likes of Gary Neville have also said in the last couple of days they would prefer Pochettino. It is imperative the club get this next appointment right as they are in danger of falling further behind the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
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