English Premier League giants Manchester United has named Erik Ten Hag as the new head coach. The 52-year-old Dutchman will join on a three-year deal and succeed interim boss Ralf Rangnick from next season.
Ten Hag said: “It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead.
"I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans. I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve."
Following a 13-year playing career, Ten Hag started coaching in 2002 with the FC Twente youth teams.
He was in charge of the Bayern Munich reserve side between 2013 and 2015 while Pep Guardiola oversaw the first team.
After two years at FC Utrecht, Ten Hag went to Ajax in 2017.
Success
He steered the side to the Dutch league and cup double in 2018-19 and 2020-21. They reached the semi-final of the 2019 Champions League where they were beaten by Tottenham Hotspur.
His team are four points ahead of second-placed PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivise with five games remaining.
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— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 21, 2022
The new First-Team Manager of Manchester United: Erik ten Hag.#MUFC || #WelcomeErik
“It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years," Ten Hag added.
"I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United.”
Manchester Untied lie sixth in the Premier League with 54 points from their 33 games - three points off the fourth spot whcih leads to next season's group stages of the Champions League.
John Murtough, United's football director, said: “During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team’s attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth.
"In our conversations with Erik leading up to this appointment, we were deeply impressed with his long-term vision for returning Manchester United to the level we want to be competing at, and his drive and determination to achieve that."
