Tuesday was another painful day for Manchester United as fans of the Premier League giants watched their team helplessly crash out of the UEFA Champions League, losing 1-0 at home to Atletico Madrid.
Despite drawing 1-1 in the first leg in the Spanish capital, the Red Devils were unable to capitalize off of their advantageous position, instead losing to a lovely first-half goal from Renan Lodi against Simeone's well-drilled side.
Straight after the game, supporters and pundits alike joined hands in slamming the club and its lack of direction and leadership. As a result, the conversation quickly shifted to Ralf Rangnick, who is only in charge on an interim basis, and the ideal manager to replace the struggling German tactician this summer.
Erik ten Hag looks to be one of the favorites for the job. In fact, he is beloved by certain sections of the fan base, having produced two breathtaking Ajax sides in recent memory. However, the Dutch tactician made some interesting remarks regarding the rumors linking him with the Old Trafford job.
Unlike Mauricio Pochettino, the other favorite for the permanent managerial role at Manchester United, Ten Hag has never worked in England and is thus understandably not as proficient in English as the Argentine. As a result, reports emerged claiming that the 52-year-old had begun studying the language in preparation for a possible move to the Premier League, namely the Red Devils.
However, the Dutchman flat out denied these allegations when probed yesterday ahead of their round of 16 clash with Benfica. Ten Hag initially stressed that he is not thinking about moving to a top European club before explaining that his English skills are merely to communicate with the foreign players at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
"No, that report is not true!" the Ajax boss told BT Sport. "We talk English at the club because there are a lot of foreign players in Holland and they are already educated in English."
Erik ten Hag responds to the rumours linking him to a job away from Ajax... #UCL pic.twitter.com/btWjP4GEjp
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 15, 2022
When asked about his future and his desire to manage one of Europe's biggest clubs, he said: "I do not think that is an issue today. I am focused on [our match vs Benfica] and I do not pay any attention to other subjects."
"At the moment, I am only working with Ajax and have no further thoughts on the future."
Is that the end of Manchester United's Ten Hag pursuit? Probably not. Given that Ajax were preparing for the 2nd leg of their round of 16 showdown with the Eagles, it is understandable that their head coach did not want to entertain unnecessary distractions. Expect the links to persist until the 20-time English champions finally name the true successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, be it the Dutchman or former Tottenham boss Pochettino.
One thing Manchester United should take note of is Ajax's defeat to Benfica. While the 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid dominated the headlines, de Godenzonen quietly bowed out of Europe after going down at home to their Portuguese rivals by an identical score line. The Old Trafford higher-ups must carefully study the reasons behind the Eredivisie champions' UEFA Champions League demise before deciding whether Erik is the right man to end their post-Ferguson misery.
