Manchester United Confirm Erik Ten Hag As New Manager

Erik ten Hag has been confirmed as the new permanent boss of Manchester United, and will take over from interim manager Ralf Rangnick in June.

There had been lots of speculation in the past few weeks that Ten Hag was set to become the first permanent boss at Old Trafford since the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last November.

The Ajax manager has stayed focus on the job at hand at the Johan Cruyff Arena, refusing to acknowledge a journalist congratulating him on his new job last week.

However on Thursday the Premier League club, who suffered the indignity of being battered by rivals Liverpool earlier in the week, finally announced their new boss.

The club's football director, John Murtough, said in a statement on the club's website, “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 52-year-old has won the league title twice in Netherlands and is currently attempting to win Eredivisie for the third time, with his team four points clear of rivals PSV with only five games of the season to go.

Ajax did lose to PSV in the KNVB Cup final on the weekend, ending their chances of winning the double, but his time in Amsterdam has certainly been a success.

On his new job, 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."

United have not won a trophy since the Europa League in 2017, when Jose Mourinho's side beat Ajax in the final, and they won't be winning one this season.

The 13 times Premier League winners have also not won the league since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and they have been a shambles since.

David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Mourinho and Solskjaer have all tried and failed to turn things around as permanent managers, whilst Rangnick hasn't been able to change much in his few months as interim.

One player in particular who should be happy with the appointment of Ten Hag is Donny van de Beek, who joined the club in August 2020.

The Dutch midfielder hasn't been given much chance at Old Trafford, and is currently on loan at Everton, but he was part of the new manager's team when Ajax reached the Champions League semi-final in 2019.