The new Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, was said to have been appointed without the players’ opinions.
Eric ten Hag will leave Ajax Amsterdam at the end of the season after five seasons at the club that saw him win Eredivisie titles, the KNVB Cup and reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
This season, he missed his chances of a domestic double by losing the KNVB Cup to rivals PSV Eindhoven, but he is now on his way to another Eredivisie title.
Progress is thin, but now that Manchester United’s business is out of the way, he will have time to focus on keeping Ajax at the top until the end of the season when they can celebrate and send him off.
However, the 52-year-old will manage a team whose opinion was not obtained prior to his appointment. This, as was understood, is due to the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo in the team.
The Manchester Evening News, which made the allegations, reported that the club chose not to seek players’ opinions because there were talk of being frustrated at the prospect of Tin Hag’s arrival and preferred Mauricio Pochettino instead.
The Daily Mail and Manchester Evening News previously reported that Cristiano Ronaldo in particular, vetoed Antonio Conte’s arrival in October before going to Tottenham Hotspur while showing strong support for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
These precedents set by Ronaldo and other players have led the club to do what they believe is in the club’s best interest by appointing the former FC Utrecht coach from next season.
There have also been reports of Ronaldo set to leave the club in the summer as Tin Hag looks to renew United’s attack with younger players. Interim manager Ralph Rangnick, who will take on an advisory role when Tin Hag arrives at Old Trafford, said after losing to Liverpool that up to ten new signings will be signed in the summer and winter next season, which means many deals. Where ten flights are expected to leave the club.
The arrival of the 52-year-old Dutchman at Old Trafford has been inevitable in the past few weeks. However, he did take his time doing his due diligence before finally accepting the role. His appointment will be a breath of fresh air for a United team that has struggled this season to contend for any titles.
John Murtaug, United’s director of football, spoke lyrically about the club’s new appointment following the announcement.
“Over the past four years at Ajax, Eric has proven to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team’s charisma, attacking football and commitment to youth,” Murtaud said in a statement.
“In our conversations with Eric leading up to this appointment, we were deeply moved by his long-term vision to bring Manchester United back to the level we want to compete at, and his determination to do so.
“We wish Eric all the best as he is focused on achieving a successful end to the season at Ajax and we look forward to welcoming him to Manchester United this summer.”
