7 months ago
35 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is one of the three contenders on Ajax’s shortlist for the manager post.
Nice coach Francesco Farioli is also a target, as is former Chelsea manager Graham Potter.
The Dutch giants, who missed out on Champions League qualification the last two seasons, have intensified their managerial hunt.
With his position at Man United far from guaranteed, Ten Hag is said to have a chance to return to Ajax.
Ten Hag is expected to be sacked by Sir Jim Ratcliffe at the end of the season since the team has seen a sharp decline in performance in recent weeks.
Ten Hag’s former club Ajax may provide him a path back to his native country this summer, according to reports from the Dutch publication De Telegraaf.
After the Dutchman left the team in the summer of 2022 to join Man United, the Amsterdam team has had a terrible season and has not been able to replicate the success that Ten Hag brought to the club.
Man United manager Erik ten Hag has been a dead man walking for weeks
Ten Hag’s former team has struggled
Ajax have long been the dominant team in Dutch football, but they are currently 35 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven in fifth place this season.
The Eredivisie outfit have had a turbulent campaign, with games postponed due to protests by fans, management casualties, drama behind the scenes, and results that fall well short of expectations.
Man United manager was a huge hit back home
Ajax under Ten Hag finished with a points-per-match ratio of 2.34 after winning 159 times in 215 games.
During his five years as Ajax’s manager, Ten Hag won two Dutch Cups and three consecutive Eredivisie titles.
Most notably, he guided the team to the Champions League semifinals in 2019, where they were narrowly defeated by Tottenham Hotspur on away goals and missed out on a spot in the final.
Ten Hag’s role at Man United is being evaluated by technical director Jason Wilcox as the team looks to bring in sporting director Dan Ashworth ahead of schedule from his gardening leave.
