English club Manchester United announced on Thursday that Dutch Ajax manager Eric Ten Hag will take over as head of the "Red Devils," starting next season until June 2025. The English club stated in a release: "Manchester United is pleased to announce the appointment of Eric Ten Hag as the first team manager... starting at the end of this current season until June 2025, with an option to extend for another year."
John Murtough, the club's director of football, explained that: "Over the last four years at Ajax, Eric has established himself as one of the most exciting and successful managers in Europe, known for his attractive style of play, offensive football, and commitment to youth." He added that: "In our discussions with Eric prior to this appointment, we were greatly impressed by his long-term vision for restoring Manchester United to the level we want to compete at, and his determination to achieve that."
Murtough further stated: "We wish Eric all the best as he focuses on achieving a successful end to the season at Ajax and we look forward to welcoming him to Manchester United this summer."
For his part, Ten Hag, 52, remarked: "It is a great honor to be appointed as the manager of Manchester United and I am extremely excited about the upcoming challenge. I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am fully committed to developing a team capable of achieving the success that it deserves." He noted that: "It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these wonderful years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on successfully finishing this season before moving to Manchester United."
Despite having coaches of the caliber of Dutchman Louis van Gaal and Portuguese José Mourinho, United has struggled to regain the status it held during Scottish manager Alex Ferguson's era, merely watching their local rivals Manchester City clinch the Premier League title four times since Sir Alex's retirement in 2013.
United had tasked German Ralf Rangnick with managing the team until the end of the season following the dismissal of Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjær from his position in November, after nearly three years in charge of a team where he excelled as a player. Since taking over in 2017, Ten Hag led Ajax to win both the league and cup titles in 2019 and 2020.
It is certain that any manager taking charge at United will face a tough challenge with a team undergoing a rebuilding process, especially with stars like Frenchman Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, and Uruguayan Edinson Cavani reaching the end of their contracts next summer. Additionally, the future of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, who returned to United last summer, remains uncertain after a disappointing season in which the team exited the Champions League round of 16 against Spanish Atlético Madrid, and after falling three points behind the fourth and final Champions League qualifying spot in the Premier League after 33 rounds.
