Erik ten Hag spent two seasons in charge of Bayern Munich II in Germany and that coincided with Pep Guardiola's time at the club.
Ten Hag inspired Go Ahead Eagles to promotion in his first season in management and accepting the Bayern Munich II position was considered a natural next step, as it was an opportunity to work at a club where he could learn closely from Guardiola.
The Dutchman had already established his principles and beliefs in his debut campaign with Go Ahead Eagles, but he wanted to learn from a coach who had just overseen the most successful period of Barcelona's history before moving to Germany.
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"I learned a lot from Guardiola. His philosophy is sensational," Ten Hag said in 2019. "What he did in Barcelona, Bayern and now with Manchester City, that attacking and attractive style sees him win a lot. It’s this structure that I’ve tried to implement with Ajax.
"Since Pep, football in Germany is different, I looked at almost every training back then, and I took a lot of methodical lessons on how to transfer his philosophy to the pitch. I want to have possession and hurt the opponent. It’s about possession, about movement, about vertical attacking patterns, about pressing, wingers moving into the middle to make room for the full-backs."
The time that Ten Hag spent with Bayern Munich II made him a better coach and he departed for Utrecht in 2015 after that successful stay in Germany. He then managed Utrecht for two years before Dutch giants Ajax came calling for his services.
A CV reading Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich II, Utrecht and Ajax is not ordinarily a path that leads to the Manchester United job, but John Murtough was impressed by Ten Hag in interviews and he was officially appointed at Old Trafford in May.
Guardiola, who spent a year at Bayern with Ten Hag, was asked about the appointment and he said at the time: "Congratulations to Erik and wish him all the best. He is a top-class manager, his teams are a joy to watch at a team like Ajax."
The Catalan then praised Ten Hag ahead of the first Manchester derby between the pair in October. "I’m so happy he’s here in England. I like managers when they have this spirit. It doesn’t matter the opponent, stronger or weaker, they go and play their game."
Ten Hag has received glowing praise from Guardiola during his first six months in charge and anyone that suspected that praise was given solely out of courtesy need to look no further than the progress he's making at United this season.
The early glimmers of his philosophy have become increasingly sustained and he's improved the majority of the dressing room, which is a sign of a world-class manager, and the turnaround in Rashford, particularly, has been remarkable.
Guardiola predicted Ten Hag would be an excellent appointment and his prediction is looking better each month. Last week was disappointing for the club, but a draw against Crystal Palace and a defeat against Arsenal does not detract from the wider picture.
Although this season was expected to be a transitional campaign, there is a huge opportunity to end the club's worst trophy drought for over 40 years in Ten Hag's first season in charge, whilst a top-four finish looks guaranteed without a disaster.
United failed to match the 10-game winning streak Sir Alex Ferguson presided over in January and February of 2009 against Palace last week, but they had already managed to equal a winning nine-match run from Jose Mourinho's first season in 2016-17.
Mourinho, who won the League Cup and the Europa League, is the most successful manager of the post-Ferguson era, but that record looks threatened by Ten Hag, who has created a feeling of unity that has not been seen in a decade.
There were doubts about whether Ten Hag would succeed at Old Trafford but Guardiola was not among the sceptics.
The Manchester City manager has been the best in the business for some time and he knew what to expect.
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