Erik ten Hag hails ‘great club’ Manchester United amid mounting speculation he will be named new manager

Erik ten Hag has described Manchester United as ‘a great club’ amid mounting speculation he is set to me named the club’s next manager.

United are currently in the process of hiring Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s permanent replacement, with interim boss Ralf Rangnick set to vacate his position at the end of the season.

Ten Hag was interviewed by United chiefs last month and has emerged as the favourite, despite United maintaining an interest in Mauricio Pochettino.

The 52-year-old’s Ajax contract has little over 12 months to run but the Dutchman insists his full focus remains on guiding his current club to further success, before he contemplates his future at the end of the season.

He told Sport1: ‘My focus is currently only on Ajax. But in football you never know. I don’t want to rule anything out. I’m currently employed here at Ajax to perform.

‘With the cup final against Eindhoven, we still have eight finals left, and I need all my energy for that. Anything else would just be a distraction.

‘I know that in football everything can change from one day to the next. If at some point I should decide to take the next step, I hope that people here will understand.’

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Asked directly about United and how talks with the club had gone, he added: ‘Everyone knows each other in the industry. There are always talks with representatives from other clubs, that’s normal.

‘Manchester United is a great club with great fans. But I can only repeat myself: My full focus is completely on Ajax! We are already planning for the new