Manchester United board set timeline for announcing Erik ten Hag’s appointment

Manchester United remain confident of appointing Erik ten Hag as their new manager and have set out an announcement timeline to avoid disrupting Ajax’s season, according to reports.

The Dutchman has established himself as the first choice to succeed interim boss Ralf Rangnick in the Old Trafford hotseat but there had been rumblings that he was not entirely convinced about taking over and had sought a number of assurances.

It was suggested that Ten Hag wanted full control over United’s recruitment, though in reality he is happy to focus on simply coaching the team – though he will still have a say on transfers.

According to The Telegraph, United’s hierarchy are now in the stages of working through the finer details of the deal and already have an idea of when they might appoint Ten Hag.

The club are determined to be respectful of Ajax – who are still competing for two trophies – and will therefore wait until after the Dutch Cup final before announcing Ten Hag to avoid any distractions which could potentially derail their campaign.

United have always enjoyed good relations with Ajax – particularly chief executive Edwin van der Sar, who was of course a player at Old Trafford – and want to maintain those links.

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Ajax take on fierce rivals PSV Eindhoven on Sunday in the KNVB Cup, while they are four points clear at the top of the Eredivisie table with a massively superior goal difference and only five games left of the season.

An announcement is likely before Ajax have wrapped up the