Since Sir Alex Ferguson left Old Trafford in 2013, Manchester United has endured its worst-ever decade in the club’s modern era. From a side that once boasted the likes of Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona, Paul Scholes and David Beckham, United is a shadow of their former selves. With a squad that includes World Cup winners Raphael Varane and Paul Pogba alongside club legends David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s not so much the names but rather the revered identity that has faded since the Ferguson days. After sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjær in November 2021, Interim Manager Ralf Rangnick has overseen the club and will now be permanently replaced by Dutch manager Erik Ten Hag.
Born in the small town of Haaksbergen in eastern Holland, Ten Hag has experienced Dutch football both as a player and manager, most notably known for the latter. After his playing career, Ten Hag began his managerial journey at Football Club Twente where he managed youth teams before becoming an assistant coach for the first team. Soon, Ten Hag would join PSV Eindhoven as an assistant manager before getting the chance to coach the Go Ahead Eagles in 2012. From 2013 to 2015, the Dutchman worked at Bayern Munich with current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as the head coach of the reserve team. In Munich, Ten Hag developed his football philosophy that was grounded in fluid passing and productive possession, two trademarks of Guardiola’s iconic “tiki-taka” style.
After returning to Dutch football in 2015, Ten Hag guided FC Utrecht into the Europa League and famously defeated Ajax toward the end of his spell. Climbing the ranks of European managers, Ten Hag was handed the Ajax job in 2017 where he would establish himself as one of the brightest managers in world football. Renowned for its stellar academy, famous graduates including Dennis Bergkamp and Marco van Basten, Ajax has always built its most successful squads around a core of homegrown players. Under Ten Hag, Ajax played a fearless brand of attacking football that encouraged physicality and pace going forward. At the time, Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, two exciting Dutch prospects, were centerpieces of this team that dethroned defending champion Real Madrid before eliminating Italian giant Juventus in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Although Ajax was tragically defeated on away goals by Tottenham Hotspur in the semifinals, Ten Hag and his spirited underdog squad had etched themselves into history books.
What separates Ten Hag from other managers is his tactical adaptability. Different countries and coaches are often defined by playing style, much like musicians are by genre. Having coached across Europe, Ten Hag’s philosophy is a fusion of Guardiola’s intricate passing, the relentless German “gegenpressing” and “total football,” a Dutch concept where all outfield players can play interchangeably. Such flexibility is desperately needed at United, which struggles with creativity on the ball. As United’s fifth manager in the post-Ferguson era, Ten Hag will look to rebuild his squad by bringing in fresh talent and might be forced to sell bigger names like Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matić. Ten Hag’s appointment will hopefully reignite the Red Devils as they look to reclimb the pyramid of European football.
