Erik ten Hag impressed Manchester United's football director John Murtough during interviews to become Manchester United manager earlier this year.
Murtough was sold on the appointment of Ten Hag, but the Dutchman had questions of his own. Murtough did his due diligence and he liked what he discovered.
Ten Hag was considered the ideal manager to take United forward, someone who aligned with the club's values, but it would have been foolish and naive to think he didn't do his own investigating as the leading candidate.
Ten Hag might have been shocked at what he discovered when undertaking that personal investigation. Through WhatsApp messages and speaking to connections in the industry, Ten Hag would have been aware of the enormity of the challenge at Old Trafford.