Erik ten Hag arrives to start work at Manchester United with assistant Mitchell van der Gaag

Ten Hag and Van der Gaag flew into London by private jet on Wednesday to hold meetings with United staff

Mark Critchley
Northern Football Correspondent
Thursday 19 May 2022 13:12 BST
Comments
Manchester United’s incoming manager Erik ten Hag
Manchester United’s incoming manager Erik ten Hag (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Mitchell van der Gaag is set to be confirmed as one of the assistants to incoming Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, who has arrived in the UK to start work.

Van der Gaag joined United’s incoming manager on a private jet flying from Amsterdam to London on Wednesday.

The pair are now set to hold preparatory meetings with United staff over the coming days, having completed the Eredivisie season with Ajax last weekend.

Ten Hag will attend United’s final game of the Premier League season against Crystal Palace on Sunday but will not have any involvement in preparations or team selection, which will be led by interim manager Ralf Rangnick.

Van der Gaag’s appointment is set to be confirmed once he has been granted a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) by the Football Association and a work permit.

The 50-year-old, who has worked alongside Ten Hag at Ajax, is expected to be joined on United’s coaching staff by Steve McClaren.

Ten Hag made the appointments of Van der Gaag and McClaren a priority as he sets about preparing for his first season in charge at Old Trafford.

Though only set to officially start work next Monday, Ten Hag decided not to join Ajax on their post-season tour of Curacao and has spent the past few days focusing his attentions on the United job.

United will bring their worst Premier League campaign to a close on Sunday, with Rangnick remaining in full control of first-team affairs until after the game.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in