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Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Football, Premier League
Rory O'Callaghan
Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Football, Premier League
Steve McClaren could be in line for a surprise return to Manchester United if Erik Ten Hag is appointed as manager.
According to The Guardian, McClaren is being considered for the assistant manager role at Old Trafford, having previously acted as Sir Alex Ferguson’s No 2 between 1999 and 2001.
United are still searching for their next permanent manager, with interim boss Ralf Rangnick set to move into a consultancy role at the end of the season.
Ajax head coach Ten Hag is one of the favourites to land the job and has already held talks with United.
Ten Hag has never managed in the Premier League and so it would be beneficial for his assistant to have experience of English football.
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Former England boss McClaren could fulfil this role, having also previously managed Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Derby County and Newcastle United.
McClaren's last managerial appointment was at Queens Park Rangers, where he sacked in 2019.
Should McClaren be appointed as Ten Hag’s assistant, it would be a reversal of roles from their time together in Dutch football.
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Ten Hag acted as assistant to McClaren during his first spell at Twente, where he guided the Dutch club to the Eredivisie title for the first time in their history.
According to the report, Ten Hag has 'particularly impressed' the United hierarchy, although the club are still considering other managerial candidates including Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, McClaren compared Ten Hag to Ferguson as well as current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
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“Tactically he’s outstanding,” said McClaren.
“He worked with Pep at Bayern Munich and took in his philosophy too. They called him 'Mini Pep' out there. He’s ready.
“A lot of top clubs in Germany and England will be out to get him.”
“I thought I worked hard until I met Erik,” added McClaren, who praised Ten Hag’s ability to analyse games in real time and suggest changes that would consistently affect the outcome of games.
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“The only other one I would have seen do that… that would have been the gaffer [Ferguson].”