Erik ten Hag will bring his Ajax assistant Mitchell van der Gaag with him to Manchester United - almost nine years after the Dutchman suffered a heart scare on the touchline.
Van der Gaag was in charge of Lisbon-based Belenenses in September 2013 when he was taken ill during a game against former club Maritimo.
He was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator - the same device that has enabled Brentford's Christian Eriksen to play again following his cardiac arrest at the Euros. Van der Gaag has regular medical check-ups - and over the last three years has become an influential sounding board for Ten Hag at Ajax.
The 50-year-old will follow Ten Hag to Manchester after the Dutchman told United he wanted Van der Gaag to be his assistant rather than former Reds coach Steve McClaren. As revealed by Mirror Sport earlier this month, Ten Hag also wants to bring Robin van Persie onto his backroom staff. Van Persie, who currently works in Feyenoord’s academy and is taking his coaching badges, remains undecided about the offer.
Van Persie, who scored 58 goals in 105 appearances for United between 2012 and 2015, is interested in working in the Premier League again although his family situation complicates the situation. Van Persie's son, Shaqueel, only recently put pen to paper on his first contract with Feyenoord and the talented youngster - who signed for Manchester City ’s academy when his father was at United - is working alongside his dad in the Dutch club’s youth system. Van Persie’s daughter Dina is also one of Holland’s biggest showjumping talents - and that’s another factor that he will take into account.
A return to Old Trafford does not look on the cards for McLaren, who was Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant when United won the Champions League in 1999, and had two spells in the Netherlands as manager of FC Twente where he guided them to their first ever Eredivisie title. McClaren's last job in management was at Queen's Park Rangers during the 2018-19 season. Although he he has worked with Derby County, who are managed by former United star Wayne Rooney.
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United interim boss Ralf Rangnick is poised to move into a consultancy position when Ten Hag takes over. Although Ten Hag has previously indicated he is open to the prospect of Rangnick being sat alongside him in the Old Trafford dug out. Ten Hag said: "My education as a manager in top level football I had at Bayern Munich. There is hardly a better education for a coach or a manager.
"I love the German model. In Germany it is a common thing that sporting directors sit right next to you on the bench there. If you have a good sporting director, you know he takes a lot of the noise away around the manager - both internally and to the outside world.
“He will back you up and will also take away all the hassle with football agents. That way I can fully concentrate on the team and the development of the players. I can only see the advantages of a sporting director close to you on the bench. I want a sporting director who can be honest and straight. If something is not right, you know quickly and can be told to your face because you work with each other every day.”
