Why Manchester United candidate Erik ten Hag failed his Tottenham interview last summer

Erik ten Hag may be the frontrunner for the Manchester United job, but he had the chance to be named Tottenham Hotspur manager last summer and put the Spurs hierarchy off at the interview stage.

The Ajax boss was interviewed by the north London club as they searched for Jose Mourinho’s permanent successor, but the Dutchman failed to impress.

The Daily Mail report that Ten Hag’s English was below par and he lacked charisma – or at least failed to get it across the language barrier.

It is also reported that the Dutchman’s preference to only bring one coach with him baffled the Tottenham hierarchy somewhat.

Dutch publication De Telegraaf reported that Ten Hag only wanted to bring Sjors Ultee with him to north London, which is normal practice in Netherlands, but the idea that he would not bring a whole backroom team with him was odd to the Spurs chiefs.

Whether or not he would want to bring a larger team with him to Old Trafford is not clear, but reports earlier this month stated he has been taking advanced English lessons.

Ten Hag spoke to decision-makers at Manchester United on Monday, and although a final call on their next manager has not been made, it is believed that the job is his to lose at this stage.

Mauricio Pochettino, Julen Lopetegui and Luis Enrique remain in the running, while Thomas Tuchel is an unlikely contender that United would love to move for but are unlikely to reel in.

United are impressed by Ten Hag’s philosophy and style of play, though, having been influenced by Pep Guardiola during their time together at Bayern Munich.

‘I learned a lot from Guardiola,’ Ten Hag has said. ‘His philosophy is sensational. What he did in Barcelona, Bayern and now with City, that attacking style sees him win a lot. It’s