Former Manchester United striker Mark Hughes is worried about the lack of Premier League experience common to a number of the Red Devils' leading managerial candidates, including reported number one Erik ten Hag.
The Ajax manager has completed his first interview with the club ahead of a potential summer move, as United look to find a permanent successor to interim boss Ralf Rangnick, and the Dutchman is still thought to be leading the race. However, despite apparent competition for the former Utrecht boss,
Mauricio Pochettino is also in the mix, having been linked with the United job both before and after joining current club Paris Saint-Germain, while Luis Enrique and Julen Lopetegui remain part of the conversation. However, Pochettino is the only member of the quartet with Premier League experience, and Hughes has suggested this could remain an important factor.
The Welshman is now managing Bradford City, having previously held several managerial jobs in the Premier League. Hughes also played in La Liga and the Bundesliga before moving into the dugout, and he has stressed the English top-flight is unlike even the best leagues overseas.
"The Premier League is like no other league in world football," Hughes told Sky Sports. "It has similarities, obviously, with the quality of the play, but I just think the intensity of the games is different.
"If you've had no experience of [the competition], either as a player or a manager, then I think it can take you aback and you can have a period of transition where you're not quite sure what's hit you, because it's such a different level in my view. So you see the attraction of Pochettino coming in because he does know the Premier League and the strength of it, but there's examples of other coaches from other countries who have come in and hit the ground running."
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Hughes may have been influenced by a previous Premier League hire with experience in charge of Ajax, with Frank de Boer lasting only a matter of months in charge of Crystal Palace. However, Ten Hag would arrive with greater pedigree not just in the Eredivisie but also in Europe, where he took the Amsterdam club to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
"The fact is Man Utd is one of the top jobs in world football, so there will be plenty of people throwing their CVs in and hoping they're going to get a call," Hughes continued.. "I've not had mine yet, but there you go!" he joked.
"It's a difficult time for United at the moment, and it's not easy for anybody with any connection to the club, so they need to get this one right. It's a huge appointment, and all the due diligence and the interviews they seem to be doing at the moment, you hope will lead to them getting the right guy in place."
