Manchester United have agreed terms with Erik ten Hag to become their next permanent manager.
Weeks of negotiations have been concluded, with the Ajax boss expected to sign a three-year contract with the option of a further 12 months.
United want to confirm his appointment as early as today after a wounding week which saw them humiliated by arch rivals Liverpool on Tuesday.
Yesterday they laid the foundations for his arrival with the departures of two key figures in their recruitment department, head of global scouting Marcel Bout and chief scout Jim Lawlor.
United opted for Ten Hag over previous first choice Mauricio Pochettino after he impressed them with his vision for the club. And his arrival is set to prompt a major rethink over their recruitment structure, which will see future signings fitting a specific profile to fit the new manager’s philosophy.
Bout and Lawlor have been key figures during a period of repeated transfer mis-steps post Sir Alex Ferguson.
Interim manager, Ralf Rangnick, has been heavily critical of United’s record in the market after being alarmed by the quality of the squad he inherited from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He will take up a consultancy role at the end of the season when he is expected to help United improve in that department in particular.
Ten Hag is seen as fundamental to that and United were determined to have a new manger in place in time to play a major role in the summer transfer window when Harry Kane and Declan Rice are both targets, while Kalvin Phillips is another on their radar.
Jude Bellingham is a dream target, but he is not expected to be available this summer.
It is possible the announcement of Ten Hag could be put back to next week, but within the club there is an anticipation that confirmation is imminent.
