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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Steven Railston

Erik ten Hag breaks silence on his Manchester United manager interview with exciting promise

Erik ten Hag has opened up on Manchester United's interview process prior to his appointment.

Ten Hag had been a leading candidate to take the reins at Old Trafford for some time, but he was officially named as United's new manager last month. Ten Hag joins United on a three-year contract with the option of an additional year.

The 52-year-old ensured he would end his Ajax tenure on a high on Wednesday night by winning the Eredivisie title following an emphatic 5-0 win over Heerenveen. Ten Hag has spent four-and-a-half years with the Dutch giants and this season's triumph is the third league title win of his premiership.

ALSO READ: Manchester United weighing up Frenkie de Jong transfer.

Ten Hag had previously refused to answer questions on United, however, with the Eredivisie title having been officially decided on Wednesday night, that stance has changed and the Dutchman has now spoken in a lengthy interview with Voetbal International.

The United boss in-waiting opened up the process for his appointment and he discussed the history of his new club.

"Despite it [United] being a beautiful club, I would never just start," Ten Hag said. "I wanted to create good working conditions first, so every detail had to be taken care of. I know United went through a very precise procedure. They'd done scouting, analyses, data, interviews with people who worked with me. Then we held multiple interviews.

"They didn't rush into things and neither did I. It felt like a difficult, but fantastic challenge. At United, there's something to build and something to win. Manchester United is such a big name in the history of football.

"It's not for nothing they call Old Trafford the Theatre of Dreams. It's a club with allure in international football. Everyone knows their history. Of Sir Alex [Ferguson], of course, but further back in time as well. Their great team in the late 50s, that suddenly disappeared after the plane crash. The history is impressive, but I've also researched the present and future and the possibilities.

"Those exist, financially as well. If you then get a good feeling about the people that are there, then all the factors are in play to take this step."

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