Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, and Steven Gerrard weigh in on Erik ten Hag’s appointment at Manchester United
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard have all weighed in on Erik ten Hag’s appointment at Manchester United.
United, which has not won a trophy in five years, has turned to Ajax coach Ten Hag to help them return to competing for big honours both domestically and in Europe.
Ten Hag has led Ajax to five championships since 2017 and led the club to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019, when they were seconds from from defeating Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur.
The 52-year-old has signed a three-year contract at Old Trafford and will succeed Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season.
At their pre-match press conferences on Friday, Premier League managers Guardiola, Gerrard, and Arteta all commented on Ten Hag’s impending visit.
Guardiola, who coached Ten Hag while they were both at Bayern Munich, said: “Congratulations to Erik, and I wish him all the best.
“He is a top-class manager and his teams are a joy to watch. Just watch his Ajax team and you see his qualities.”
Meanwhile, Aston Villa manager and Anfield idol Steven Gerrard stated:
“Well Manchester United is a very big football club.
“Obviously the project he’s got there, where they are at the moment, their current form, of course it’s going to be huge.
“Obviously there’s a lot of football to be played before he comes in the door. He’s a fantastic manager, fantastic CV, obviously been very successful at Ajax.
“I like the style, I’ve followed him for many years, I’ve seen him do really well in European competition as well.
“Obviously it’s a very positive appointment from their point of view. But no one in Manchester will care what I say about Manchester United, as you know!”
Arteta, the Arsenal manager, was similarly positive about Ten Hag, saying: “I think he’s been really good, especially with the way his teams play. What he did a couple of years ago in the Champions League [was impressive].”
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte, who was connected with Manchester United before joining Spurs, was among many who reacted to Ten Hag’s hiring yesterday.
Conte issued a warning to Ten Hag, telling reporters, “For sure, we are talking about a big club, an important club.
“Don’t forget that last season United were in second place and improved the squad with [Raphael] Varane, [Jadon] Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“It’s strange but they’ve improved the squad and have done worse than last season. It shows it’s not easy, particularly in England.
“In England it’s a big job for every manager, the level is so high. When you’re at Manchester United the pressure is massive.
“You have to fight to win trophies. It’s not easy because other teams have the same idea.”
Before focusing solely on Ten Hag, Manchester United must strive to earn a top-four berth as the season winds down and head to north London to face Arsenal on Saturday.
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Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, and Steven Gerrard weigh in on Erik ten Hag’s appointment at Manchester United
