Breaking News:Erik ten Hag reveals ex-Man Utd boss Louis van Gaal told him NOT to take the Old Trafford hotseat as he reflects on Ralf Rangnick ‘open-heart surgery’ claim & opens up on ‘toughest season’ of his career

Erik ten Hag concurs with Ralf Rangnick’s Old Trafford admonition, but claims that former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal advised him against accepting the position.

Ten Hag acknowledges the previous season as his “toughest.”
Accepts the warning from former Man Utd manager Rangnick
Claims Van Gaal ordered him to reject the Man Utd job.

Consequently, what happened?

In a comprehensive interview, Ten Hag talked about how tough last season was for him and how “a lot of people,” including former Netherlands manager Van Gaal, cautioned him against joining United. He also acknowledged that his predecessor Rangnick was correct when he said the team needed “open-heart surgery.”

THOUGHS OF ERIK TEN HAG

The former Ajax manager stated to the Dutch daily AD that Rangnick was 100% correct. He was spot on when he indicated that this is a meticulous and extremely difficult operation—we have been working very hard on it for the past two years. And I was aware going into the job that it would be difficult. Many individuals have warned me against doing it. Yes, Louis van Gaal included.

“This was by far the toughest season I have had as a coach,” he continued. Would this team like to return to its previous status as a Premier League champion and potential Champions League winner, which was more than ten years ago? I believe that we have come a very long way from then.

THE LARGER IMAGE

After led United to their lowest-ever Premier League result of eighth the previous season, Ten Hag was under pressure to stay in his position; however, he was spared by the club’s long injury list and their FA Cup victory. But part of their problems can be attributed to the manager’s inadequacies; in order for him and his team to contend for further trophies and advance in the league the following season, they will need to improve.

WERE YOU AWARENESS?

When Ten Hag was linked to United in March 2022 while still at Ajax, Van Gaal issued a warning to his countryman about relocating to Old Trafford.

Days after leading United to an FA Cup victory in 2016, the former Bayern Munich manager was fired. At the time, he stated, “I think Ten Hag is a great coach; I said that multiple times.” Man Utd benefits from having a fantastic coach. However, Man Utd is a business team. Those are tough decisions for a coach to make. You should favour a football team as a coach.

Next?

Next?
Many of Ten Hag’s players are now in the midst of their preseason campaigns as they get ready for the upcoming season. They play a friendly match on Saturday against Rangers and then play Arsenal on July 27.