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Man Utd set to appoint Erik ten Hag as new manager

Manchester United are set to confirm the appointment of Ajax manager Erik ten Hag as their next head coach, according to ESPN.

The Red Devils have been actively on the search for a new manager, and it now appears Ten Hag will take over the hot seat this summer.

In recent weeks, it has been a two-horse race between the Dutchman and Mauricio Pochettino, but the hierarchy have settled on the former.

Ten Hag is available for a compensation fee of just £1.7 million. In comparison, it would take a hefty sum of £15m to prise away Pochettino from Paris Saint-Germain.

This has been highlighted as a reason behind the decision while Pochettino’s mixed run of fortunes at Parc des Princes is another. United don’t want to hire a manager, who has failed in a recent role.

Ten Hag will be given a shortlist of players for different positions this summer. The Dutchman is likely to have the power to identify his own targets for the transfer window.

Our view:

Ten Hag has greatly built his reputation with Ajax in recent years. He took them to the semi-finals of the 2018/19 Champions League campaign before a last-gasp defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

In the process, several players evolved into big-name stars, and have since moved on to elite European clubs. One of them is Donny van de Beek, who could get a new lease of life at Old Trafford.

Having failed to compete for Premier League glory with marquee signings, United may change their transfer policy this summer with the focus on young players with glowing potential.

Ten Hag is certainly the right candidate for the job, and should also get the backing from a vast majority of the club’s faithful unlike Pochettino, who would have received a mixed reception.

Over the past nine years, United managers has not had much authority on transfer dealings, but it seems Ten Hag will have the power to decide which players to pursue over the summer period.

This may have been a key deciding factor in convincing the Dutchman. The 52-year-old would not have agreed to join the Red Devils if the hierarchy are to make their own transfer decisions.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com