Erik ten Hag is the firm favorite to become Manchester United’s new full-time manager, and he is dealing a crushing blow to the dreams of embattled Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino, according to British media reports on Thursday. Both the BBC and the Daily Mail claim the 52-year-old Ajax manager is seen as fitting the profile the United board wants for the man who will hopefully restore the glory days the club enjoyed under Alex Ferguson. According to The Mail, United had talks with Ajax at the end of last week – whose top man is former United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar – about the conditions under which Ten Hag can leave.
His contract expires at the end of next season and would cost United around £1.6 million (USD 2.1 million) to sack him, while PSG could demand a much larger sum for Pochettino to leave.
However, Pochettino’s position at PSG is far from safe after a disappointing exit in the Champions League’s last 16 – the barometer by which coaches of the Qatar-owned club are judged.
Ten Hag – whose Ajax side was denied a place in the 2019 Champions League final by Pochettino when he led Tottenham in the last minute – has been interviewed by United and is said to have demanded United’s support to pursue his transfer goals.
According to the Independent newspaper, Ten Hag told United football director John Murtough and technical director Darren Fletcher that he had a “five-year project” in mind.
He also spoke about the futures of several current team members and said they are nowhere near “Champions League form”.
However, according to the Independent, he has “not blown people away” at United due to an alleged lack of charisma – which reportedly saw him lose to Nuno Espirito Santo last summer for the Spurs job.
In that regard, Pochettino is way ahead of Ten Hag, although he is more muted at PSG than his impassioned performances on the sidelines at Spurs.
Both the BBC and the Mail say United will postpone an announcement out of respect for Ajax and proximity to their title race with PSV Eindhoven – the latter trailing Ten Hag’s side by four points.
Despite managers the size of Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho bringing in some cup silver, United have consistently failed to meet a major challenge for the title, while UAE-backed neighbors Manchester City have won it four times since Ferguson stepped down in 2013.
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Temporary incumbent Ralf Rangnick has failed to create consistency in results since Ole Gunnar Solksjaer was sacked in November but will reportedly stay on as a consultant.
Manchester United are seventh in the table, three points away from Tottenham, who are fourth and last in the Champions League, having both played the same number of games.
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