Ten Hag accepts his toughest challenge as Man Utd manager

Erik Ten Hag PHOTO: Man Utd/Twitter

Erik Ten Hag has never shied away from a challenge, but the biggest task of the Dutchman’s coaching career awaits after accepting the role of Manchester United manager.

Ten Hag, 52, will leave Ajax at the end of the season having restored their pride at the top table of European football in the Champions League and dominated domestically in his four years in charge.

Performing a similar turnaround in United’s fortunes after nearly a decade in the doldrums will be a higher mountain to scale.

But Ten Hag boasts an unblemished managerial record from his unconventional route to one of the sport’s most prized jobs.

An unremarkable playing career included three spells as FC Twente, where he won his only major trophy as captain in the 2001 Dutch Cup.

It was at Twente where his journey as a coach began too, working alongside former United assistant and England manager Steve McLaren.

“I thought I knew football before, but going there and experiencing that… I knew nothing about football,” McLaren told The Athletic of his experience with Ten Hag.

“I have to sit up in the stands to see the patterns of a game, but he could stand on the touchline (and see them). He always knew the answer to everything, how to change shape, change positions.”

In his first role as a manager in his own right, Ten Hag got Go Ahead Eagles promoted to the top-flight of Dutch football.

Yet, instead of testing himself in the Eredivisie, he took the bold decision to take over Bayern Munich’s reserve side in the fourth-tier of German football.

His two years in Munich coincided with Pep Guardiola’s time as boss at Bayern with Ten Hag keen to soak up as much knowledge as he could from the Manchester City manager and the culture of working