Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal has advised Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag to reject Manchester United after reports surfaced he was interviewed by the club for a managerial role in the summer.
Van Gaal who is perhaps still a bit pained about how his tenure at Man United ended, has given his compatriot advice to reject a role with the club as they were a “commercial club”.
Van Gaal managed United for two seasons between 2014 and 2016, finishing fourth and fifth in the Premier League. He won silverware when he guided the club to FA Cup glory in 2016, a game which was ironically his last game in charge of the club.
“Erik ten Hag is a great coach and that is always good for Manchester United,” Van Gaal said at a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s friendly between Netherlands and Germany.
“But Manchester United are a commercial club, so it’s a difficult choice for a coach. He would be better going to a football club.
“I’m not going to advise him, he’ll call me himself. But he must choose a football club and not a commercial club.”
Man United interviewed Ten Hag and are also interviewing other top managers in lieu of a permanent managerial appointment in the summer.
Their quest to appoint a permanent manager to succeed Ralf Rangnick, whose interim role expires in the summer, is still on as they aim to hire someone who can guide the club back to winning trophies.
Ten Hag has been Ajax boss for five seasons and has won the Eredivisie twice as well as taking the club to the semi-finals of the 2019 Champions League.
He remains one of the topmost contenders to take over at the club in the summer however, Paris Saint-Germain manager, Mauricio Pochettino, Spain head coach Luis Enrique and Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui have also been linked with the vacant position.
United have been knocked out of every available competition this season and are set to end the season without a trophy for the fifth year running.
The Red Devils have only top four to play for this season which may also be a deciding factor for whoever decides to take the reins at the club.
Enjoyed the article? Share with others as well. Stay in the know, follow us on Twitter @punditgist.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.