Erik ten Hag has revealed his Ajax players are "excited for me" after he was announced as the next manager of Manchester United.
The Dutchman's appointment was confirmed on Thursday morning. He's signed a three-year deal at Old Trafford - beginning at the end of this season - and will succeed Ralf Rangnick. The German will start a two-year consultancy role in Manchester.
Ten Hag has achieved significant success in his homeland. Since joining Ajax in December 2017, he's won five trophies - including two Eredivisie titles - and reached the Champions League semi-final in 2018-19, suffering a last-minute defeat to Tottenham.
The 52-year-old is hoping to go out in style in Amsterdam. Ajax. the defending champions, are currently four points ahead of PSV in second with five games remaining. Both teams play on Saturday, with Ajax taking on NEC and PSV travelling to Cambuur.
Ten Hag's relationship with his current players appears to be strong based on their reaction to his new job. "The players are really excited for me, that’s beautiful," said the manager on Saturday. "I worked at Ajax for a long time and created great relationships."
There might even be a few Ajax players hoping to join Ten Hag at Old Trafford. Rumours earlier this month suggested Antony - a 22-year-old Brazilian winger - is on United's transfer shortlist. He's scored 12 goals in all competitions this season.
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Ten Hag is expected to make a number of signings this summer. Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Edinson Cavani and Lee Grant are all out of contract in June.
United also have an ageing squad. David de Gea, Fred, Phil Jones, Harry Maguire, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Heaton, Alex Telles and Nemanja Matic - who all have at least 12 months left on their respective deals - are all 29 or older. Raphael Varane turns 29 on Monday.
And most critics accept the Red Devils are in desperate need of some fresh talent this summer. They've not won a major trophy since their Europa League triumph in May 2017 - ironically beating Ajax - and are on course to finish outside of the top four this season.
United are sixth in the Premier League after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday. The result leaves them six points behind the Gunners having played a game more. Tottenham are fifth in the table, three points ahead of the Red Devils.
Moreover, West Ham in sixth and Wolves in eighth can leapfrog United if they win their games in hand. Fifth and sixth will be enough for Europa League qualification this term, while a seventh-place finish will land Ten Hag's new team in the Europa Conference League.
"There is a lot of work for sure," said Rangnick - who told Ten Hag he needs to perform an "open heart operation" on United's struggling squad on Friday - after Saturday's result. "We knew that before the game - [but] we showed what football we can play."
