Paul Scholes has suggested Manchester United should appoint Edwin van der Sar in order to give Erik ten Hag a link with the club’s board. Ten Hag is set to arrive as United’s new manager at the end of the season, having had his appointment officially announced last week.
The current Ajax boss faces a huge task at Old Trafford, following what has been a dismal season for the club. The 52-year-old is likely to face a major rebuild in the summer, with interim manager Ralf Rangnick suggesting United could need as many as 10 new signings., and given the magnitude of the job at hand, Scholes believes Ten Hag could do with a helping hand.
Rangnick is set to move into a consultancy role, as per the agreement reached when he joined the club. Scholes though believes Ten Hag will need a link between himself and the club’s board, and feels Van der Sar could be the perfect appointment.
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The former United goalkeeper has worked alongside Ten Hag as Ajax’s chief executive, having taken up the role in 2016. Under their guidance, the Dutch giants have re-established themselves as a force in Europe, as well dominating domestically over the past few years.
Asked how far United are from challenging for the Premier League title again, Scholes told talkSPORT: “It feels a long way. I think next year, he’s (Ten Hag) going to be fighting for fourth place, which is not something that you want of Manchester United, not something you expect.
“At the start of this season, we all expected them to challenge for the title, and that’s gone badly wrong. I think we’re three, four, possibly even five years away from getting to somewhere where we could be challenging for the league.
“When this manager comes in, I get the feeling he’s going to be thrown into the lion’s den unless something above him, or somebody above him comes in as well. The people running the club, Richard Arnold, Ed Woodward and John Murtough, as much as they’re brilliant with the commercial side of the club, football knowledge is not their strength.
“I think Ten Hag needs somebody, he needs that link between the management and the playing side to the boardroom. If you could bring someone in, I don’t want to throw names about, but if you think about Edwin van der Sar and what he’s been like at Ajax with him, he’s been sensational in forming that relationship.
“I think he needs some kind of link in between the players and the boardroom to really make a good go of it.”
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