“Don’t cheat the process”, “Got it spot on” - Manchester United fans react as Erik ten Hag edges closer to being named manager

Manchester United fans have reacted to the news that Erik ten Hag is set to be appointed the club's next manager. ESPN reports that a deal for the Ajax head coach is close to being finalized. This will bring an end to United's long-winded process of finding the man to replace interim boss Ralf Rangnick.

The 52-year-old has long been the fans' choice with his work at Ajax being acclaimed. There is a feeling among the Old Trafford faithful that ten Hag is a risk worth taking. He has the credentials, having led Ajax to two Eredivisie titles and the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.

In that time, he transformed the side on multiple occasions as a result of player departures.

With ten Hag handed the opportunity to work at a bigger club in the Premier League, the Dutchman will have to battle the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. The feeling is that Ten Hag will need time to work his magic as an overhaul is required at Manchester United

Here are some reactions to the news that ten Hag is on the brink of being confirmed as the next Manchester United manager:

Manchester United fans expect to see a former face join Erik ten Hag

With Erik ten Hag tipped to take over as manager, plans will have to be put in place to assemble his backroom staff. There have also been reports of Steve McClaren joining as Ten Hag's No. 2. The former England manager was in the same role at United under Sir Alex and has worked in the Dutch league.

Robin van Persie - The former Manchester United striker had a fantastic time at Old Trafford following a shock transfer from rivals Arsenal. He won the Premier League title in Sir Alex Ferguson's last season in charge at the club and quickly became a fan favorite. Van Persie also won the Golden boot that season.

Rene Meulensteen - The Dutch former assistant coach to Sir Alex had huge success alongside the Scot, winning eight major trophies with Manchester United.

The Red Devils won four Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League during Meulensteen's stint in the coaching set-up. He is currently the assistant manager of the Australian national team.

Jaap Stam - The fearsome, imposing legendary Dutch defender was a huge hit at Old Trafford. He won the Premier League title three times as well as the Champions League and FA Cup with the Manchester outfit. Stam has gone into management and most recently had a stint at Dutch side Feyenoord and MLS outfit FC Cincinnati.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

Matthew always strives to go beyond a story and offer unique and lesser-known insights, while maintaining an unbiased tone in his articles. His reporting exploits at the company have helped him gain a humungous readership of 25 million, with one of his articles raking in a whopping 724,000 reads.

A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

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