Eric ten Hag appointment was officially confirmed on Thursday morning, with the current Ajax boss set to take charge of the club at the end of the season.
Erik ten Hag, 52, now becomes the second Dutchman to manage Man United following the footsteps of his compatriot Louis van Gaal.
The Red devils now have their new manager in place before the start of the summer window in order to have a smooth transition between the reigns and to hit the ground running ahead of a pivotal off-season.
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Erik ten Hag insists his immediate focus is on finishing the season strongly with Ajax as he goes in search of a third Eredivisie title before focus switches to his new role at Manchester.
“It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead,” he told the club in an official statement.
“I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.”
“It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United.”
The highly rated Dutchman was born in Haaksbergen, Netherlands on 2nd February 1970, He was a centre back during his playing career. the season ends in May. Amid the ongoing speculation, here is all you need to know about the potential United boss…
Managerial record
Erik ten Hag began his management career with Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles. He helped them finish fifth in the Eerste Division, before winning promotion via the play-offs in 2012-2013 season.
The Dutchman then took over Bayern Munich’s reserve team in 2013-2015, He later returned to the Netherlands with Utrecht between 2015-2017.
He then helped Utrecht finished fifth in his first season and fourth in his second season with the Dutch side before joining Ajax.
Erik ten Hag has been impressive ever since joining Ajax in 20172018 season. He helped the club become relevant on the Champions League stage for the first time since the mid-90s.
The Dutchman reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2018 with Ajax and has since won two Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups.
He is now looking to add another trophy this season and currently sit top of the Eredivisie in 24 league games this season, Ajax have scored 71 goals and conceded only 7.
Style of play
The Dutchman favours a 4-3-3 formation, This would help him follow on from the system being implemented by Ralf Rangnick at present at Manchester United.
He has adapted to a 4-2-3-1 formation at times, while at Utrecht he also used a 4-4-2 diamond system.
Erik ten Hag’s philosophy is a desire to press aggressively and win the ball back quickly. The role of the defensive midfielder is key to his system in helping to shield the back four is what Man United need.
