Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is on the verge of losing his right-hand man and assistant manager Mitchell Van der Gaag.
Erik ten Hag will have to look for another right-hand man as his current assistant manager is reportedly set to join Ajax.
Ajax have just managed to get 5 points from their opening six games and currently sit in the relegation zone of the Dutch league.
However, the board have reportedly identified Mitchell van der Gaag, assistant to Erik ten Hag at United, as the man for the job.
Erik ten Hag is likely to lose his assistant, who could join Ajax after he was identified as a potential according to De Telegraaf.
The manager replaced former Everton center-back John Heitinga, who managed the team as a caretaker coach last season.
Heitinga’s spell at the club was rather a disappointing one as Ajax failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2009.
The club might even miss out on playing in Europe next season as they are currently 15 points off fourth place, hence the reason they are searching for a manager – with Erik ten Hag’s assistant, Van der Gaag their primary target.
It all boils down to whether Erik ten Hag will be willing to let his right-hand man leave or even if United will give permission for this to happen.
Ajax have one of the strongest squads in the Dutch league and it would not be wrong to say their survival in the league rests on Ten Hag’s assistant.
Ten Hag on the other hand and his United squad have endured a tricky start to the season with the Red Devils in the 10th position in the Premier League.
This might actually hinder the Dutchman from giving approval for his assistant to leave especially now that he’s facing a crisis at the club.
Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag is a Dutch football manager and former player who was born on 2 February, 1970 and is the manager of Premier League club Manchester United.
Ten Hag began his managerial career in 2012, when he was recruited by Go Ahead Eagles, where he led the club to Eredivisie promotion in his first season.
In 2013, Erik ten Hag joined Bayern Munich II and was promoted to the Regionalliga Bayern in 2014.
In 2015, he returned to the Netherlands as the sporting director and head coach of Utrecht.
He joined Ajax in 2017, where he won three Eredivisie titles, two KNVB Cups, and led the team to the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
He was appointed as the Red Devils head coach by Manchester United in 2022.
Who is Mitchell Van der Gaag?
Mitchell van der Gaag is a Dutch football coach and former player who was born on 22 October, 1971 and played as a centre-back, currently the assistant manager of Manchester United.
He appeared in 208 Eredivisie games for NEC, Sparta Rotterdam, PSV, and Utrecht, scoring 19 goals.
He had time in the Scottish Premier League with Motherwell and the Portuguese Primeira Liga with Martimo, where he played 174 games and scored 19 goals.
Van der Gaag managed various teams, including Martimo and Belenenses in Portugal, as well as Excelsior and NAC in his native Netherlands.
