Manchester United are still yet to appoint their new long-term manager, and now former bosses are starting to get involved after Erik ten Hag became the heavy favourite to land the role.
The Ajax boss has reportedly opened talks with United after having an interview with the Red Devils, as Ralf Rangnick 's temporary stint in charge ends on June 1. Ten Hag is seen as the front-runner alongside Mauricio Pochettino, but the Dutchman appears to be the people's choice as pressure starts to mount over an appointment.
Ten Hag wouldn't be the first Dutchman to manage United as Louis van Gaal originally held the role between 2014 and 2016, and the former boss has recently offered advice to the Ajax head coach amid speculation. But Rangnick has hit back at Van Gaal's comments as the Dutchman criticised how the club is run.
Van Gaal appears to have advised Ten Hag against taking the United job, in his latest criticism of the club since he was sacked in 2016. Van Gaal told Dutch outlet AD : "I think Erik ten Hag is a great coach, he has shown that several times. And a great coach is always good for Manchester United.
"Manchester United is a commercial club and those are difficult choices for a coach. It is better to go to a football club. I'm not going to supervise his career and he will call me himself. But he should choose a football club, not a commercial club."
Van Gaal was sacked shortly after winning the FA Cup with United in 2016, and Jose Mourinho was swiftly brought in to replace the Dutchman, which may suggest why he disagrees with their values. And Rangnick has come out swinging to defend the Red Devils, and even questioned Van Gaal's judgement.
Rangnick said following Van Gaal's comments: "Louis himself as an experienced coach signed a contract here some five or six years ago and he could have known that in advance if he had that opinion. I think football worldwide and even more so in the English Premier League when any rich person or company can buy a club, as long as they pass the fit and proper person test, is a commercialised business, that's for sure.
"No matter which club in which city. What I can only tell you from the last four months is that this is a club with a big tradition with a close relationship with the supporters and to the whole city, region and area.
"For me, it's a great club and if the club draws the right conclusions on what's happened in the last couple of years, yes, the last couple of years have not been as good as expected. But if they draw the right conclusions I still see a very bright future for this club."
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Although Ten Hag may be the overwhelming favourite currently, Pochettino is still in the conversation, with the Argentine expected to depart Paris Saint Germain in the very near future. Their recent Champions League failure appears to have ended his time in Paris, with the French giants still yet to find the winning formula in Europe.
PSG crashed out along with both United and Ajax, meaning that Rangnick, Pochettino and Ten Hag will all be focusing on domestic football until the end of the season. However, although Ajax and PSG are leading their respected divisions, United are struggling in the Premier League.
A poor season could become a disaster as United are well behind the pace to finish within the top four. And if they fail to secure Champions League football, it may impact their summer dealings drastically.
