Ruud Gullit admits people in Holland were 'surprised' when Manchester United made Ten Hag the club's manager
Dutch legend Ruud Gullit has claimed that people in Holland were 'surprised' when Manchester United appointed Erik ten Hag as their new manager.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021 after a string of underwhelming seasons, with Ralf Rangnick taking over as the club's interim manager. The Red Devils' search for a new permanent head coach culminated with the appointment of Ten Hag in the summer of 2022.
The Dutch manager managed Ajax from 2017 to 2022 before joining the Old Trafford outfit, winning three Eredivisie titles among other trophies. He also took them to the semifinals of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League season, beating Real Madrid and Juventus in the knockout rounds.
Regardless, Gullit thinks the Red Devils took a risk by appointing the 53-year-old. Speaking on William Hill’s Up Front podcast with Simon Jordan, the former Chelsea player-manager said (h/t Metro):
"Manchester United were changing coaches for all manner of reasons and then all of a sudden they took on Erik ten Hag, which was also a surprise for people in Holland. I think he has a difficult task.
"He didn’t have a background which suggested that he would be able to deal with the pressures of managing Manchester United, so for United to pick him was a risk for the club as well as ten Hag himself."
Ten Hag led Manchester United to their first trophy in nearly six years when they lifted the EFL Cup last season, beating Newcastle United in the final. The Red Devils finished third in the league and were the FA Cup runners-up behind Manchester City. Currently, they sit eighth in the Premier League with 18 points from 11 matches.
Manchester United in delicate position ahead of Copenhagen clash
Manchester United needed a 72nd-minute Harry Maguire goal to beat Copenhagen at Old Trafford on matchday three of the UEFA Champions League.
Before their 1-0 win against the Danish side, the Red Devils lost to Bayern Munich (4-3) and Galatasaray (2-3). They will face Copenhagen in the reverse fixture at the Parken on Wednesday (8 November).
A loss here could plummet Manchester United to the bottom of the table — a spot currently occupied by the Danish club, who have two points to their name. Erik ten Hag's men have three points to their name, trailing Gala by a point.
Bayern are the runaway leaders in Group A so far, winning all three group-stage games so far. The Red Devils last played in the Champions League knockout stage in March 2022, when they were dumped out of the last-16 by Atletico Madrid (2-1 aggregate).