Paul Merson explains why Erik ten Hag is not a good fit for Manchester United

Former Arsenal and England midfielder Paul Merson has suggested that Ajax boss Erik ten Hag could struggle to live up to expectations at Manchester United.

The 52-year-old has been sounded out as the favourite to take over at Old Trafford this summer and Ajax bosses expect him to make the move. As revealed by the Manchester Evening News last month, the Dutchman is United's preferred candidate and he has been interviewed for the role.

There is a growing expectation that he will soon be installed as Ralf Rangnick's replacement, but the deal is yet to be fully agreed and signed. It is understood that the Ajax chief wants assurances to be put in place about how big a say he will get in the structure and day-to-day running of the club, amongst other things.

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Although Ten Hag is a largely popular choice amongst United's supporters, Merson has reservations about whether or not the former FC Utrecht boss can live up to the billing. He has outlined the big difference in quality between the Premier League and Eredivisie as his biggest concern.

"If it is Erik ten Hag who gets the job, he's someone who has managed in a two-team league for however many years," Merson told Sky Sports. "He's never worked in this league before and he's never really worked with massive football players.

"He's been at places where he's motivating players towards getting big moves. He's worked with hungry footballers whereas the United players are already at the top.

"When you look at the Eredivisie, Dusan Tadic is the best player over there. I'm not saying he's not a good player, but where would he be in the top 50 in the Premier League?

"I didn't