Manchester United are about to make an appointment that could frustrate Erik ten Hag

Manchester United's coaching staff will be unrecognisable for some fans next season.

Mitchell van der Gaag and Eric Ramsay have departed from Erik ten Hag's backroom team with Rene Hake and Ruud van Nistelrooy arriving to offset their exits.

Ramsay left in February to manage in the United States but Van der Gaag's departure was only confirmed this month. The latter served as Ten Hag's trusted assistant for three years across stints with Ajax and United but 'wanted to pursue a career in management'.

Van der Gaag and Ramsay were responsible for overseeing the bulk of training sessions at Carrington and their departures are bound to have an impact in 2024/25.

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Sources have confirmed Ten Hag drives the group tactically and his coaches echo his messages. Van der Gaag and Ramsay played a pivotal role in preparing the squad and helped to plan sessions, responsibilities that are thought to have been picked up by Hake and Van Nisterlrooy.

The details of how Ten Hag's backroom staff operate on a day-to-day basis might not excite fans, but they provide context to the performances that are produced on matchdays.

The freshening up of Ten Hag's coaches can be spun positively and negatively. The new additions - Van Nisterlrooy's appointment is exciting - should bring fresh ideas and prevent complacency from creeping in, but Ten Hag has lost trusted allies and it's interesting that Hake and Van Nisterlooy were managers in their previous roles, which could mean they dilute the manager's power.

Van Nisterlooy was in talks to become the manager of Burnley before accepting the chance to coach at United