Manchester United announce Ten Hag as new manager
Manchester United have confirmed Erik ten Hag as their new manager.
The Dutchman will leave his job at Ajax at the end of the season to become the English club’s fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
The 52-year-old will be joined at Old Trafford by his No 2 Mitchell van der Gaag.
Ten Hag said: ‘It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead.
‘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.’
Football director John Murtough said: ‘During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team’s attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth.
‘In our conversations with Erik leading up to this appointment, we were deeply impressed with his long-term vision for returning Manchester United to the level we want to be competing at, and his drive and determination to achieve that.
‘We wish Erik the best of luck as he focuses on achieving a successful end to the season at Ajax and look forward to welcoming him to Manchester United this summer.’
The Dutchman is reported to have beaten Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane to the United job.
The new manager, who delivered two league and cup doubles to Ajax, will be tasked with ending a five-year trophy drought at United after another hugely disappointing campaign.
He will need to make immediate decisions on which players to keep and which to sell, with the likes of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani all out of contract this summer.