Erik ten Hag has taken the advice from his Louis van Gaal as he looks set to complete his first two transfers as Manchester United boss.
United are closing in on a deal to sign Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong with an initial transfer fee agreed with Barcelona for £56.2million. They are also close to a £14million deal to land De Jong’s Netherlands international teammate Tyrell Malacia – Feyenoord's left-back.
The link to Ten Hag is clear; the new United boss is familiar with both players having coached De Jong during his first 18 months at the helm of Ajax and having competed against Malacia in the Eredivisie with all three sharing the same nationality.
Ten Hag is the second Dutchman to manage United following Van Gaal – who currently coaches The Netherlands – coaching the club between 2014 and 2016. Weeks after his appointment at Old Trafford that summer, Van Gaal spoke of his approach to signing Dutch players abroad.
At Barcelona, Van Gaal oversaw a host of Dutch signings including Patrick Kluivert, Frank de Boer, Ronald de Boer, Boudewijn Zenden, Michael Reiziger, Winston Bogarde and Phillip Cocu, while he also signed Arjen Robben when he was at the helm of Bayern Munich.
In the summer of 2014, in the aftermath of his Old Trafford appointment, Van Gaal explained to reporters: "If they are at the level I want them to be, then I will sign Dutch players. Dutch players are usually cheaper than players of other nationalities and they have usually been very well educated in the Netherlands, I believe. They have to be of a level that can play well in the English Premier League. You have to ask if that is the case with every player."
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As it turned out, United signed two Dutch internationals under Van Gaal, bringing in defender Daley Blind from Ajax in his first transfer window at the club before securing a deal to sign Memphis Depay from PSV Eindhoven the following year.
Ten Hag has already inherited his former midfielder Donny van de Beek at United while former Dutch Under-21 international Tahith Chong is also involved in the club's pre-season training having returned from a loan spell at Birmingham City.
The new United boss was also said to be keen on signing Dutch defender Jurrien Timber from his former club Ajax, while Amsterdam-based stars Lisandro Martinez and Antony are also on his radar for signing in his first transfer window at United.
