Erik ten Hag oversees Ajax's match against Tottenham Hotspur in the 2018-19 Champions League on May 9, 2019.(Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
Erik ten Hag will leave Ajax to become Manchester United manager next season.
THE HAGUE, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Ajax and Manchester United have reached an agreement on the transfer of coach Erik ten Hag to the Premier League club, both clubs announced on Thursday.
The appointment was expected for months and both clubs confirmed that the 52-year-old Dutchman leaves Ajax for Manchester United. He will sign a contract from the end of this season until June 2025, with the option to extend for a further year.
Ten Hag has been the head coach at Ajax since January 2018. During this period, he won two league titles (2019, 2021), with 2020 canceled due to the COVID-19, and probably one more national title to come this season. He also captured two Dutch Cups (2019, 2021) and one Dutch Super Cup (2019).
In the 2018-2019 season, Ten Hag led Ajax to the semifinals in a memorable Champions League campaign.
"During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team's attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth," John Murtough, football director of Manchester United, stated in a press release.
"We would have liked to have kept Erik at Ajax for longer," Ajax's general director Edwin van der Sar added. "He is going to make the step to one of the biggest clubs in the world, in a fantastic league. We owe Erik a lot of thanks for what he has achieved with Ajax so far."
At United, Ten Hag follows in the footsteps of current interim coach Ralf Rangnick, who succeeded Ole Gunnar Solskjaer by the end of November last year. The Dutchman gets the task to build a new successful team.
Manchester United won the Premier League for the last time in 2013. Currently the Red Devils are seventh in the league.
"It is a great honor to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead," The Hag stated. "I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve." ■
