EKO HOT BLOG reports that Erik ten Hag appears to have come through his interview for the Manchester United job on Monday with flying colours, while he has a significant advantage over Mauricio Pochettino.
The Dutchman was the first managerial candidate to hold a formal interview with the club after Ajax permitted him to speak to United’s hierarchy on Monday, and he is now the clear favourite to land the Old Trafford job.
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Ten Hag fluffed his interview with Tottenham last summer, who opted to hire Nuno Espirito Santo instead, but he left a much time around.
According to The Telegraph, Ten Hag’s interview is understood to have been ‘positive’, with the 52-year-old detailing his philosophy and vision for the club.
Since that underwhelming Spurs interview, Ten Hag is believed to have been taking advanced English lessons; although fluent in the language and even taking training sessions in English at Ajax, he wanted to hone his vocabulary to more accurately convey himself and his football philosophy.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claims United were impressed with Ten Hag – and his English – with the coach keen to discuss the club’s transfer budget and plans for the future, while he also stressed how excited he was to potentially move to the Premier League.
The interview was conducted with football director John Murtough and technical director Darren Fletcher, who have been leading the search for the new manager.
That duo oversaw comprehensive and detailed background checks on all the candidates, compiling dossiers on each manager they were interested in, and Ten Hag is also believed to have come out on top in this department too.
The Telegraph also report that Ten Hag wants to bring his current Ajax assistant Mitchell van der Gaag with him to Old Trafford should he get the job, despite speculation that United’s board were keen for an ex-player to join the Dutchman’s coaching staff.
United will need to pay a nominal fee for Van der Gaag as well as £4million in compensation for Ten Hag, though that is considerably cheaper than the cost of appointing Pochettino – which could be a big advantage for the Ajax boss.
It could cost United as much as £20m to prise Pochettino and his coaching staff from Paris Saint-Germain – five times more than getting Ten Hag – while there is the potential for the two clubs to engage in a protracted game of chicken.
Pochettino’s future is looking very precarious after PSG’s last-16 exit from the Champions League, while they look set to limp over the line in the Ligue 1 title race, and the French side are considering terminating his contract early.
Were they to do so, the Argentine would suddenly be available for nothing, but PSG are expected to wait for United to decide whether they want Pochettino – and are willing to pay them £20m – before making a decision themselves on the coach’s future.
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