'A poor man's Virgil van Dijk and a real team player' - What Manchester United can expect from Erik ten Hag and Mitchell van der Gaag

The excitement is growing as Manchester United prepare to welcome Erik ten Hag to the club at the end of the season. After an extensive search for the next permanent manager, United settled on the Ajax boss as their preferred candidate for the role, with club sources insisting it was a unanimous decision to back the 52-year-old.

Ten Hag is expected to be joined in Manchester by his current Ajax assistant, Mitchell van der Gaag, and the duo will arrive at the club with the full support of the United fanbase. But, despite being the popular choice amongst fans on social media, they still represent somewhat of an enigma.

There can be no denying the success Ten Hag has enjoyed at Ajax, but very few pundits will actually have watched the Dutch champions play many domestic games, or have first-hand experience of what the new manager is really like.

READ MORE: Manchester United stance on appointing Erik ten Hag's Ajax assistant manager

There is one former United player who is better positioned to pass judgement than most, though.

Rob McKinnon is a name that even the most avid supporter would find it hard to recall, but the former Scotland international, who Sir Alex Ferguson signed on loan from Hartlepool in 1990, is unique in that he played under the legendary United boss while also playing alongside Ten Hag and assistant Van der Gaag during his 21-year professional career.

"I was fortunate enough to be teammates with both the guys," McKinnon told The Manchester Evening News. "The managerial appointment certainly came as a bit of a surprise, but there was always plenty of talk about it happening."

Born in Glasgow, the Scottish full-back began his professional career at Newcastle United before moving to Hartlepool a year later.