Dutch legends Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit are split over whether Erik ten Hag will bring the glory days back to Manchester United.
Van Basten, the former striker who won three European Cups with AC Milan and the 1988 Euros with Holland playing alongside Gullit, reckons the Ajax boss will be a success at Old Trafford. And Van Basten also believes that Cristiano Ronaldo must be a part of the Ten Hag revolution. But Gullit, the former Chelsea and Newcastle boss, knows all about the demands of the Premier League - and he fears Ten Hag will not be given the time to turn things around with ex-United players like Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand scrutinising his every move in the media.
Van Basten said: “I have trust in Erik ten Hag. When he came in at Ajax, there were also so many doubts about him. It was exactly the same situation as now with Manchester United. The media did not rate him. But he started to build - and did that really well. You can see his signature on everything that has happened at Ajax ever since he came into the club as a manager. I think he has done a really great job.
"Everyone in the country was putting question marks over the appointment of Ten Hag when he arrived at Ajax. The same thing is the case now. They criticise him and people are asking questions before he has even started at United. I am convinced he can live up to the expectations at United and at the top of the Premier League.”
Gullit is not so sure. United have burned through five managers in the nine years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and Gullit said: “I follow the media in England and I have already concluded that Ten Hag will not get the time to change things. Rio Ferdinand has put the pressure on, Gary Neville has done it, all the papers will be onto him. I have lived and worked in England.
"The first club all the media look at and talk about is United. What United have done wrong is that when Man City and Liverpool made a change in their playing styles to a very attacking way, playing 4-3-3, pressing the opponent and using an aggressive style, United went the other way. They went for older managers like David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. That did not work. Now United have realised that they must go for a young, modern manager too. But it’s too late. In the end, they have now ended up with Ten Hag. As much as I wish he will succeed at United, my fear is that this is going to be a really, really difficult project for him.”
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The Dutch duo spoke about the job Ten Hag has taken and the myriad of problems he will face on the TV programme ‘The Rondo Show’ in Holland. The decision to bring Ronaldo back to the club last summer has not turned United into title contenders as expected - but the 37-year-old is still well clear at the top of the club’s goalscoring charts.
Van Basten said: “If Ronaldo carries on playing like he did last week (against Norwich) and scores two or three goals in a match on a regular basis, there is no need to take him out of the team. Ronaldo is a player who does his own thing, but as long as he delivers, you have to give him a place in the team. Ten Hag will take into account that he cannot ask the same things physically from Cristiano Ronaldo that he will be asking of an 18-year-old. Of course Ronaldo will need to work hard - and I am sure he will work hard because I can see Ten Hag having an influence on him to get him to play how he wants.
“I will give Erik one piece of advice: don’t listen to the media when you start there. He will have such a massive focus on his own job, on his work on the training ground and on the team. And when he does that, I am sure he can change everything at United.”
