Man United CONFIRM Erik ten Hag as their new manager on three-year deal after his ‘long-term vision’ for a rebuild impressed bosses

……. as departing Ajax boss vows to deliver success

From Ogundele Olanrewaju

Manchester United have officially confirmed that Erik ten Hag is taking over as their new manager.

Ten Hag will leave his job at Ajax at the end of the season to become United’s fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

The 52-year-old will be joined at Old Trafford by his No 2 Mitchell van der Gaag.

The Dutchman’s appointment has been expected for some time since Sportsmail revealed a month ago that he had been interviewed for the job having moved ahead of Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino. United confirmed the news in a statement on Thursday morning.

Ten Hag said: ‘It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead.

‘I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.

‘It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United.’

Football director John Murtough said: ‘During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team’s attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth.

‘In our conversations with Erik leading up to this appointment, we were deeply impressed with his long-term vision for returning Manchester United to the level we want to be competing at, and his drive and determination to achieve that.

‘We wish Erik the best of luck as he focuses on achieving a successful end to the season at Ajax and look forward to welcoming him to Manchester United this summer.’

Ralf Rangnick has served as interim manager since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking back in November but United have struggled to make any progress on the pitch.

An enormous rebuilding job now falls to Ten Hag, who reportedly left United technical director Darren Fletcher and football director John Murtough shocked with his frank assessment of the club’s problems during his interview.

Ten Hag was critical of United’s scouting and recruitment policy after an outlay of £1billion since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 with little to show for it.

The new manager, who delivered two league and cup doubles to Ajax, will be tasked with ending a five-year trophy drought at United after another hugely disappointing campaign.

He will need to make immediate decisions on which players to keep and which to sell, with the likes of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani all out of contract this summer.

A big decision will have to be made on whether to retain Cristiano Ronaldo, whose contract runs until 2023, with the option of another year.

The announcement also draws a line under the intensifying speculation which has engulfed Dutch side Ajax in recent weeks.

They lost the Dutch Cup final on the weekend, 2-1 against PSV Eindhoven, but Ten Hag has the chance to sign off in style by winning the Eredivisie. Ajax are, as it stands, four points clear of PSV with seven games to go.

United fans have staged protests against the club’s unpopular American owners, the Glazer family, and many believe United will not return to the glory years unless they sell up.

Before Saturday’s 3-2 win over Norwich, a fan group calling itself The 1958 organised a demonstration against the ownership. Fans boycotting the opening 17 minutes of the game – one minute for each year the Glazer family have run the club.

The crowd chanted ‘we want Glazer out’ and ‘Joel Glazer’s gonna die’ as they waved banner and set off red smoke flares while marching from the Tollgate pub to the stadium ahead of kick-off.

At least 2,000 stayed outside for the beginning of the match, congregating inside the Munich Tunnel underneath the South Stand and singing ‘love United, stay outside.’

Their anger only grew on Tuesday night when United were thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool at Anfield, just months after losing 5-0 to their bitter rivals at Old Trafford.

It leaves United’s chances of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League next season looking even more remote.

But now, a new dawn is emerging. Ten Hag has built a reputation as one of the most innovative coaches in European football since his appointment as Ajax manager in 2017, having previously coached at Utrecht and for Bayern Munich’s second team when Pep Guardiola was in charge in Bavaria.

As well as restoring Ajax to domestic supremacy, Ten Hag also guided them to the Champions League semi-final in 2019, when only a dramatic late goal by Tottenham’s Lucas Moura prevented them reaching a final against Liverpool.

Ten Hag’s good record in the transfer market with Ajax is another encouraging factor for United.

Despite the exit of stars such as Hakim Ziyech, Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong following their Champions League success, Ten Hag was able to successfully maintain Ajax as a force in Dutch football with shrewd signings.

Mitchell van der Gaag, the former Motherwell centre half, is Ten Hag’s No 2 at Ajax and is set to follow his boss to Old Trafford.