Manchester United appoint ten Hag as new manager

Manchester United announce the appointment of ten Hag just days after their 4-0 loss to Liverpool. 

Just days after Ajax lost the Dutch cup final 2-1 to PSV, ten Hag has been announced as the next Manchester United manager. He will become the 5th United manager since Sir Alex Ferguson's legendary reign when he takes over. The Dutchman signs a contract until June 2025 plus an option of a further year at the club. 

Tuesday's disappointment at Anfield highlighted the flaws in a Man United side who have struggled for success since Ferguson's retirement. The loss put further dents in their top 4 hopes as they face fellow top 4 hopefuls Arsenal next. 

United's club director John Murtough claims United's chiefs were left 'swooning over him': "We were deeply impressed with his long-term vision for returning Man United to the level we want to be competing at, and his drive and determination to achieve that".

Erik ten Hag says: "It's a great honour to be appointed manager of Man Utd, I'm hugely excited. I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve".

Erik ten Hag has reportedly been at the top of United's board list for months and prioritised the reds over two German clubs who approached him. He asked for a long-term contract in order to rebuild United.

The reds also interviewed many candidates for the job such as Pochettino and Luis Enrique but decided the Dutchman more closely aligned to United's identity; as a proven winner, his status as a proven winner, his ability to improve young players and his attractive style of football all impressed United's hierarchy. ten Hag is a proven winner having won two Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups as well as reaching the Champions League semi-final in 2019.

ten Hag is very much a proven winner in comparison to his United predecessors, but whether he can sort out a team that have recently grew fractious remains to be seen. The Dutchman faces a tough task to rejuvenate a stagnant United squad back to their glory days of competing in the Champions League and competing for trophies.