Erik Ten Hag is said to courted by both Manchester United and Newcastle United
By Kehinde Okeowo
Man United have lost four of their last five English Premiership League (EPL) and cup games.
They were beaten by West Ham and Aston Villa in Carabo Cup and EPL games on September 22 and September 25 respectively.
After a little respite from their 2-1 win against Spanish club, Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League game, they drew again at home against Everton.
These games were followed by two quick losses to Leicester and their local rivals, Liverpool, who trashed them 5-0 over the weekend.
The results are extremely damaging for the frosty relationship between United fans and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who for now has the backing of the club’s hierarchy.
Despite the seeming vote of confidence, a lot of managers are rumored to be waiting in the wings for their job.
Leading the wish list of United fans are former Real Madrid coach, Zinedine Zidane, former Inter Milan coach, Antonio Conte, and Ajax coach, Erik Ten Hag.
While there is no consensus among the fans, Hag seems to be trending more on Twitter as their preferred choice.
A fan simply identified as Matt tweeted:
“Ole doesn’t care about youth either. Greenwood is so good he’d be breaking in under anyone. Ten Hag is the obvious candidate and a much better fit for the club than Conte or Zidane. The club should be doing everything they can to get him”
He was backed by another United supporter, Jonny Halley, who said:
“Personally I’d like if we got ten hag for our next manager,pay ajax the compensation for him,let him bring in his own team won’t need a major rebuild wit the team we have,plays exciting attacking footie and very shrewd at the defence too. Johnny Halley “
A lifelong United fan, Einstein Robson, also added:
“I rather go with Erik ten Hag than conte cause it will be another mourinho like situation all over #OleOut”
Dutchman, Erik ten Hag, has done an excellent job since joining AFC Ajax in 2017, winning the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup twice.
He has also made significant progress in the European competitions, he recently demolished German giant Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in UCL.
Man United are not the only team rumored to be interested in the Ajax coach, Newcastle, who was recently acquired by the Saudis prince are also interested in his services too.
Although Ten Hag admitted it would take an ‘exceptional and extraordinary’ offer to lure him away from Ajax, the two clubs are capable of the extraordinary.
According to The Chronicles, Ten Hag has entered the Newcastles’ job conversation and it’s been a highly debated topic in the Netherlands over the weekend.
Despite the link to Newcastle, Dutch journalist, Arno Vermeulen, thinks the 51-year-old has nothing to gain by leaving the Amsterdam club for Newcastle.
“Why in God’s name would he go to Newcastle, I wonder? He’s really smart. He started working at Ajax in the top of the Netherlands. Together with others, he may well have made Ajax the European giant,” Vermeulen said.
“I can imagine that he will make another jump, but you must forget the money. It’s about the challenge.
“Then wouldn’t it be much smarter to wait for clubs like Manchester City or Manchester United? Clubs that are established. If you win trophies [with Ajax] for a few years, that is very valuable.” he said.
Ten Hag isn’t the only coach who has been backed to make the switch to Newcastle, with Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca, and Steven Gerrard among those who could take over.
But the Magpies’ vulnerable position towards the bottom of the Premier League might make them less attractive to the likes of Erik Ten Hag.