Just like Erik ten Hag, Steve McClaren is wasting no time in his bid to help bring the glory days back to Manchester United.
The 61-year-old has been pictured leaving the club's offices in Mayfair, London, after working with new Red Devils boss Ten Hag and assistant Mitchell van der Gaag. The trio are busy scheming at their temporary headquarters ahead of starting work in Manchester next Monday following United's final game of the Premier League season at Crystal Palace, where Ten Hag will be in attendance.
McClaren, however, starts his second stint at the club after being Sir Alex Ferguson 's right-hand man for their famous treble-winning campaign in 1999. The ex- England manager employed Ten Hag as his assistant at Twente in the Netherlands more than a decade ago and the pair will reunite at Old Trafford.
The roles are reversed in 2022, with the now former Ajax boss cracking on with the Red Devils' rebuild well away from the north west, allowing Ralf Rangnick to more easily round out his disappointing time as interim manager. McClaren notably waxed lyrical about Ten Hag's pedigree before his appointment and any rumours about his own return.
"His great strength lies not just in his attention to detail and organisation," the English coach told the Telegraph. "He has a clear philosophy of how he wants to play football; the environment he wants to create. The player progression programme was a key part of Twente. He has done that at Ajax too, for each player from the academy to the first team.
"You look at Hakim Ziyech and now the striker, Antony, a very good player who will be the next one to go. I have seen this Ajax team and it's very good. Erik is very disciplined and people have to buy into that and have that work ethic. Tactically he's outstanding.
"He worked with Pep [Guardiola] at Bayern Munich and took in his philosophy too. They called him 'Mini Pep' out there. He's ready. A lot of top clubs in Germany and England will be out to get him." Ten Hag, meanwhile, is hoping that McClaren can help him rapidly get to grips with the rigours of being in charge of the world's self-proclaimed biggest club.
Speaking to Voetbal International after guiding Ajax to their third Eredivisie title in four completed seasons under his watch, the Dutch tactician explained: "It felt like a difficult but great challenge. That is the most beautiful thing there is. There is something to build at United and something to gain. Manchester United is such a big name in football history. It feels like a challenge to put the club back on track of winning."
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Ten Hag added: "Old Trafford is nicknamed the Theatre of Dreams for a reason. It is a club with name, fame and allure in international football. Everyone knows the history of the beautiful teams. From Sir Alex Ferguson of course, but also further back in time. The great team of the late fifties, which suddenly disappeared with the plane crash.
"The history is impressive, but I also started to delve into the present and the future. And the options that are available. They are there, also financially. If you also get a good feeling about the people there, then the picture is right and then the factors are present to take this step."
