English Premier League: Manchester United opt for Erik ten Hag over Pochettino

According to David Ornstein, journalist of The Athletic, Manchester United has reached a verbal agreement with Erik ten Hag for next season. Thus, the coach will leave Ajax Amsterdam to go to Old Trafford.

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However, the agreement will not be officially announced until Ajax plays the final of the Dutch Cup (against PSV Eindhoven). An appointment that, by the way, will be played next Sunday, April 17. After that date, it is expected that Manchester United's deal with Ten Hag will be definitively confirmed.

Erik ten Hag preferred over Pochettino

The 52-year-old, who was interviewed by United last month, had been on a shortlist of four alongside Paris Saint-Germain's Mauricio Pochettino, Spain coach Luis Enrique and Sevilla's Julen Lopetegui after Chelsea's Thomas Tuchel and Bayern Munich's Julian Nagelsmann were ruled out, having been unreachable due to their commitment to their current clubs.

United's search for a new manager has been led by director of soccer John Murtough and technical director Darren Fletcher, who reported to chief executive Richard Arnold and co-chairman Joel Glazer, who will have the final decision on the appointment.

While some at United considered Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino, Arnold and Glazer agree that Ten Hag is the best candidate to replace interim coach Ralf Rangnick, who has been in interim charge since last December.

The choice of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's successor eventually came down to a straight battle between Ten Hag and Pochettino, but the difficulties experienced by Pochettino at PSG this season, combined with the potential cost of releasing him from the remaining 12 months of his contract at the Parc des Princes, leave the former Spurs boss behind Ten Hag on both footballing and financial grounds.

New leader for MU at Old Trafford

Ralf Rangnick, interim coach of the Red Devils, will leave his position at Erik's disposal. A professional who, incidentally, has also attracted the attention of RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga. However, he has opted for the proposal of United in the Premier League.

The aforementioned source adds that Manchester United will have to agree on the necessary terms with Ajax, all in order to close the departure of the Amsterdam manager. In that regard, it was already noted that his termination clause was € 2 million. In principle, Erik ten Hag will be committed to the English club for four seasons (until 2026).

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