IAN HERBERT: Erik ten Hag would be goofy to reject 'Disneyland' United

There is a ring of familiarity about Louis van Gaal suggesting his compatriot Erik ten Hag should dismiss all thoughts of managing Manchester United and 'choose a football club, not a commercial one.'

Jurgen Klopp felt the club's priorities made it 'an adult version of Disneyland' when approached to replace David Moyes in 2014.

Van Gaal was not the only one dismayed by Old Trafford obsession with commercial deals. His players were so affronted by being asked to do a sponsors' event after one match they withdrew cooperation, forcing executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to seek a truce with dressing-room leader Ashley Young.

A watch sponsor gave Zlatan Ibrahimovic one of their products at another event, then asked him to sign for it, saying if he left the club he must give it back. The Swede told them where they could stick it. 

Woodward has been replaced by Richard Arnold and a greater common sense is restored, though Van Gaal is not wrong to suggest that the United job is, in some ways, a poisoned chalice.

The new incumbent will inherit a labyrinthine squad which is the product of five managers taking up the Old Trafford hot-seat in nine years. When Juan Mata came on as a substitute in the FA Cup defeat by Middlesbrough last month, the 11 players on the pitch had been signed by all five of those bosses.

The next manager will inherit the legacy of 17 neglectful years under Glazer ownership: an aged, careworn stadium in desperate need of upgrade at a time when Arsenal's and Tottenham's arenas place them miles ahead.

The technically challenging expansion of Anfield is something Liverpool's American owners have applied themselves to and the stadium is hugely enhanced.

And then there is the expectation that the club's sixth