Erik ten Hag is getting the band back together. Ajax's dream run to the brink of the Champions League final in 2018/19 was built on a thrilling core of homegrown talents, but it was inevitable that the moment Tottenham cruelly cut them down to size in Amsterdam was also the moment the exodus gathered pace.
Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek were two of the stars of that season, along with central defender Matthijs de Ligt, but De Jong had already agreed to move to Barcelona. De Ligt would join Juventus and a year later Van de Beek was signing on at Manchester United.
Ten Hag was the man who masterminded it all - on the pitch, at least - and now he's followed Van de Beek to Old Trafford, although he'll hope for more success than his countryman.
