Rio Ferdinand belies Erik ten Hag will need to create a culture in order to bring success back to Manchester United.
The Ajax head coach is expected to be confirmed as United's next permanent manager, having established himself as the frontrunner following an interview. Manchester Evening News understands the Eredivisie giants are anticipating a summer exit.
The 52-year-old, should he take charge of United, has a mammoth task of reshaping the club as they head into their seventh consecutive season without silverware. Ten Hag's achievements in his homeland have been lauded and Ferdinand believes the next man in the Old Trafford dugout should follow Sir Alex Ferguson's lead.
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"Obsession, that’s the type of word Sir Alex Ferguson would put into the players’ heads. Listen, I think Ten Hag, if he’s the guy that comes in and the rumours are that he might be, I don’t think there’s any candidate out there that’s been talked about that you think ‘he’s the guy, he’ll give us a great opportunity at challenging’," he said speaking to BT Sport.
"I think he’ll need support and the framework around him, in terms of recruitment and strategy, then he needs to provide the foundations for the framework around the team and the culture. You look at Sir Alex Ferguson there and what he did, he built a culture over many years and had plenty of support in that time.
"But, he built a culture, [and] managers nowadays have to do that much quicker. You see with Pep and Jurgen Klopp they can build a culture and implement that, but this manager will need that time and have to show the signs early on to get that."
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