Ajax announced Erik ten Hag's departure from the club with a clip of the new Manchester United boss embracing Cristiano Ronaldo.
United confirmed Ten Hag's appointment on Thursday as the Dutchman signed a three-year deal, with an option of a fourth, to become the new Red Devils manager. Ten Hag will see out the current campaign with the Amsterdam giants before arriving in the summer, taking over from interim boss Ralf Rangnick, who is set to take a consultancy role.
Ajax also confirmed the news on their end and appeared to pass on their well wishes to the 52-year-old as they shared footage on TikTok of the manager and Ronaldo when he played for Juventus during a Champions League quarter-final clash in 2018/19.
The Portugal star and Ten Hag embraced each other on the sidelines and shared a lighthearted conversation as Ajax knocked Juve out of the competition with a 2-1 second-leg victory (3-2 on aggregate) in Turin.
Ajax captioned the clip with a handshake emoji between the two club's names, adding: "Ajax and Manchester United have reached an agreement on the transfer of Erik ten Hag to the English club. It remains to be seen if Ronaldo will link up with Ten Hag as his Old Trafford future is up in the air. The 37-year-old still has one year left on his current deal after sealing a dream return to Manchester last summer.
But it's not gone according to plan as United not only didn't challenge for the Premier League title, they are in danger of missing out on a top-four finish. Ronaldo has expressed his desire to be playing Champions League football which could dictate whether his time at Old Trafford is cut short.
Should Cristiano Ronaldo be included in Erik ten Hag's rebuild? Comment below.
Ten Hag is also set to make wholesale changes at the club with as many as 12 players leaving in a mass clearout, while the number of arrivals could reach double figures. Ten Hag insists he is "honoured" to be named United's new boss, saying: "It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead.
"I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve. It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United."
