Jaap Stam has urged Manchester United to give Erik ten Hag the necessary backing to ensure he is successful as the club’s new manager.
Ten Hag will take over at Old Trafford at the end of the season, bringing an end to Ralf Rangnick’s disappointing spell as the interim replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Dutchman has enjoyed success as Ajax manager over the last five years and Stam believes his former club have to be active in the transfer market to ensure Ten Hag is able to stamp his identity on the first team.
“He understands, and he knows as well, that the Premier League is totally different - the people, the press, the expectations, the pressure - to how it was in Holland,” Stam told the PA news agency.
“For him that’s going to be a learning curve but it’s very important that the club and the owners are backing him up in terms of personnel.
“United have got good players. Yeah, some of them might need to go but they need to bring in several other players as well, so they can get unity within that squad, play in a certain way.
“The philosophy in how he wants to play is of course very important. That’s why they chose Erik. Hopefully he can show that.”
It is been a difficult season for the majority of United’s players, particularly Harry Maguire who has struggled for form and has had his place in both the United and England sides questioned.
Stam believes there is more scrutiny on Maguire than other places due to his price tag, and that a new coaching team at the club could prove beneficial to the centre-back.
“I still think Harry is a good player, is a good defender,” Stam said.
“You need to understand, every player - and I’ve had it myself as well - goes through rough spells that he’s having a hard time, the confidence is a bit low, he’s not feeling well, making mistakes.
“But when you cost 100 million and you’re making a mistake, yeah, the pressure on you is a lot more than when you’re costing a few quid.
“He’s played this season good games as well. Having this season now and maybe a new coach coming in, having a fresh start, (he will be) learning a lot from this season as well and what he’s done and what he needs to do.
“Does he need to make a change or not? Maybe having different players next to him or in front of him can help him out as well in terms of feeling more confident, so maybe next season you’ll see a total different player.”
