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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Jack Flintham

Matthijs de Ligt has already told Manchester United what to expect from Erik ten Hag

Manchester United's new manager Erik ten Hag has been credited with two notable achievements at Ajax.

The 52-year-old bid a fond farewell to the Amsterdam club last week after guiding his former team to the Eredivisie title. Back in April, Ten Hag was appointed as the permanent successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Solskjaer was sacked back in November after a spell of poor form which culminated in a humbling defeat to now relegated Watford. Ralf Rangnick took charge on an interim basis for the remainder of the season but after Sunday will step aside to allow Ten Hag to take charge.

ALSO READ: Manchester United told Erik ten Hag shares important Jurgen Klopp trait

While United have struggled to emulate the success of Sir Alex Ferguson since the Scot retired in 2013, Ten Hag has been building a solid reputation in world football. According to two men who were in Amsterdam during parts of Ten Hag's tenure, the Dutchman is responsible for two key achievements.

According to former Reds goalkeeper and current CEO of Ajax Edwin Van der Sar, Ten Hag's success could be gauged outside of domestic competitions. He said in a farewell video for the 52-year-old: "Fantastic what you've achieved.

"You've put us back on the European map." Meanwhile, in 2019, the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt proved their worth after becoming crucial components of Ten Hag's squad.

Now at Juventus, the latter said of his former boss: "Biggest compliment is that you've created a certain mentality within the club that we missed before."

Both the lack of mentality and prominence on the European stage have caused great angst among the Manchester United fanbase for some time. Ten Hag will be hopeful that he can rectify both during his time in the north west.

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