Van der Gaag was already a favorite to come along, but Steve McClaren’s name also fell at an early stage. The former FC Twente trainer and former England national coach worked closely with Ten Hag during his period in the Netherlands. Then the situation was the other way around, McClaren was head coach and Ten Hag assistant.
Ten Hag has had talks with McClaren, but the Englishman himself has not had any contact with the management of Manchester United to date. It is therefore expected that he will no longer appear in the picture. That would mean that Ten Hag would have to work with the staff members who now assist Ralf Rangnick and previously assisted Ole Gunar Solskjaer.
Good in the taste
Given the fact that the club wants to make a major change, this is no guarantee for a total revolution. Many eyes will be on Ten Hag, who has never worked in England before and made an effort to bring a coach with a United background. This is also the case with Robin van Persie. Manchester United would still like to add to the staff and will continue to talk with Ten Hag.
Van der Gaag has been well received at Ajax and the management, with Edwin van der Sar at the forefront, was very satisfied with his work. But the former professional football player really wants to leave this summer and join Ten Hag.
In England, Van der Gaag is seen as a coach with many qualities, partly because he speaks several languages fluently and has received his training as a coach in Portugal. With several Portuguese-speaking players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, that is an advantage for all the work that will have to be done in the selection later.