Pep Guardiola reckons Erik ten Hag is the appropriate guy for the job at Manchester City but says there are no certainties the Dutchman can flourish in the Premier League if he chooses Manchester United over Manchester City.
When asked if he may leave this summer, the Ajax coach remarked on Friday, “You never know.” Erik ten Hag is currently on Manchester United’s shortlist to take charge at Old Trafford next season.
When Guardiola was in charge of Bayern Munich back then, he worked with Ten Hag for two seasons and hailed him as “an amazing person,” stressing that “his Ajax teams are a pleasure to watch.”
When questioned if Ten Hag will be able to convert his success in the Netherlands to English football, City’s manager replied: “If I was 100% I would call Manchester United and tell them: ‘Guys, you have to take him.’ But nobody knows. When I arrived here I didn’t know.” He elongated his point by saying “He’s a good manager, there is no doubt. But there were good managers there in the past since Sir Alex [Ferguson] left. You cannot say that David Moyes is not a good manager or Louis van Gaal or José Mourinho. I think all the managers that have been at United have been excellent.”
Guardiola is in his sixth season at Manchester City and has a contract that runs through the conclusion of the following season.
He has declared he will deliberate on whether or not to sign a new deal in the summer, but he has recommended Ten Hag as a good candidate to succeed him when he steps down.
Could Erik ten Hag be here at City? Definitely. I think he could be the one,” Guardiola said. “For the way he approaches the game.” He joked: “I will say to [director of football] Txiki [Begiristain] now.”
On Friday, Ten Hag remarked that he could not eliminate the possibility of quitting Amsterdam this summer.
When the Ajax manager was demanded to speak on his contact with Manchester United, he said “Everyone knows each other in the industry. There are always talks with representatives from other clubs – that’s normal.”
Ruben Dias will miss City’s Premier League game against Liverpool at home next Sunday, according to Guardiola, as the defender recuperates from a hamstring injury, however, John Stones is fit enough to play Burnley on Saturday following his early return from international duty.
