Sir Alex Ferguson urges Erik ten Hag to ‘get in control’ of Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson has urged Erik ten Hag to ‘get in control’ of Manchester United once he moves to Old Trafford in the summer.

United officially announced Ten Hag’s appointment last week, with the Ajax head coach replacing interim manager Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season.

Ten Hag already faces a tough task with United almost certain to miss out on a place in next season’s Champions League, while Rangnick claimed last week that the team are six years behind Liverpool and Manchester City.

Ferguson won 38 major trophies during his time at United but the Scot arrived at Old Trafford in 1986 with the intention of overhauling the club.

And the 80-year-old insists Ten Hag must immediately stamp his authority at United.

When asked about Ten Hag’s appointment, Ferguson told RTE Racing: ‘Well, I hope he does well because the club needs someone to get in control.

‘I hope he does well, yeah.’

Meanwhile, former United striker Dwight Yorke, who was a key part of Ferguson’s treble-winning side in 1999, has also urged Ten Hag to take ‘full control’ at Old Trafford.

‘I think [Ten Hag has] got a very difficult job,’ Yorke told ESPN.

‘Simply because it has been a bit of a disaster for us as a football club in terms of personnel and where the team is at.

‘There’s no hiding place in that. We’re not where we’re supposed to be. But there’s a new beginning, a new start for a manager who a lot of people don’t particularly know.

‘Obviously, he has done well in Holland. [But] the Premier League is a whole new ball game. Manchester United’s manager is on a whole different level.

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