Shades of Alex Ferguson as Erik Ten Hag on brink of taking charge at Manchester United

An excellent record, albeit in a weaker league than England’s. A reputation for close vigilance of what his players do on the pitch and off it. A studious attention to detail and a broad mind. A sometimes gruff manner facing the media.

All those qualities could probably have described Alex Ferguson in the mid-1980s, when he was invited to leave a Scottish Premier League whose hierarchy he had shaken up as manager of Aberdeen to take over at Manchester United.

All those characteristics are in the make-up of Erik ten Hag, the head coach of Ajax, who is poised to formally accept United’s invitation to join them in June. Ten Hag is certainly wise enough to know that comparisons with Ferguson stalk everybody who manages United. He should probably learn to live with them.

So far in his impressive career, the 52-year-old has been likened mostly to the grandees of Dutch coaching. There are shades of Louis van Gaal, an ex-United manager, in his loyalty to clear principles and his avid note-taking, say long-term observers of the game in the Netherlands. There are also traits of the much-travelled, much-respected Guus Hiddink’s style in his shrewd man-management.

“An incredible person and human being,” beamed Pep Guardiola, who got to know Ten Hag on the Dutchman’s only previous stint working outside his native country, while Ten Hag was coaching Bayern Munich’s second team, and Guardiola the seniors. “For his qualities, just take a look at his Ajax team in the last few years.”

It is that body of work that has most convinced Old Trafford’s decision-makers that Ten Hag has the authority and imagination to set about the huge task of leading United to somewhere nearer the standards they maintained through Ferguson’s long tenure, which