Manchester United, Erik ten Hag reach 'agreement in principle' on 4 year deal

Manchester United and Dutch manager Erik ten Hag have reached an "agreement in principle" on a four-year deal.

"It is believed to be a verbal agreement. He is expected to join on a contract to run for up to four years," respected journalist David Ornstein said via The Athletic.

Ajax Amsterdam, Ten Hag's current club, is aware of the situation but United still need to reach a deal with the Dutch outfit.

Sport24 reported last week that to prise Ten Hag away from Ajax would cost United around £1.6 million as his contract expires at the end of the current Eredivisie season.

The Red Devils have been without a full-time manager since the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021, with Ralf Rangnick taking over on an interim basis.

Rangnick's contract also extends into a consultancy role for a further two years, and he has already broken his silence on Ten Hag.

Ten Hag is currently in his fifth campaign with the Dutch giants and is well on his way to securing a third Eredivisie crown since he arrived at the club in 2017.

It will be his sixth silverware triumph in five years at Ajax.

The 52-year-old has already met with the United board and tabled his plans for the Red Devils, which has impressed the hierarchy of the club.

Ten Hag has already informed United of his backroom staff and is expected to be finalised "in due course".

However, an announcement will only be made after Ajax take on rivals PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Cup final on Sunday, 17 April.

Paris St Germain's Mauricio Pochettino, Sevilla's Julen Lopetegui and Spain coach Luis Enrique are understood to have been on the four-man shortlist.

Pochettino, who also has a year left on his current deal, was a favourite to succeed Solskjaer, but the United board has opted to go