Former Manchester United goalkeeping coach Eric Steele has compared Erik ten Hag's impending arrival at Old Trafford to that of Jurgen Klopp's at Liverpool in 2015.
After months of speculation, United officially announced that Ten Hag had been installed as the club's new manager last Thursday, ahead of him taking charge ahead of next season. The Ajax boss has put pen to paper on a deal until the summer of 2025, with the option of an additional year.
Ten Hag will be tasked with overseeing one of the biggest rebuilding projects in United's recent history, with big changes needing to be made to the first-team squad and the overall philosophy of the club. Although there is a clamour for success to return to Old Trafford, it must be recognised that Ten Hag will want to oversee a long-term project.
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With that in mind, former United coach Steele believes everyone should remember the long-term vision Liverpool put in place following Klopp's arrival, highlighting how success can be achieved when the correct building blocks are put in place. Ten Hag is renowned for following philosophy and working to a strict plan.
"We've not seen Manchester United in terms of always expecting them to be challenging for Premiership titles, so I think that is certainly one of the major ambitions that he is going to have," Steele told Sky Sports. "Now, we know how long it took Jurgen Klopp - it took him time to establish his style, his commitment and to get that across to the players.
"I think Ten Hag is in that situation like when Klopp went into Liverpool. But there was patience shown with him and you look at where he has taken Liverpool to; they're at the same level now as Manchester City, and Ten Hag is going to need that time to do it.
"You can't build overnight success and to get it at the moment you have got two teams that are really pulling away, in terms of on and off the field, so Ten Hag will need that time to develop his style, to develop and get the right players in. There will still be people within that football club there to back him.
"We all want Manchester United competing back in that top-four. It is not a good league without Manchester United challenging. It is not good for the league and football in general."
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