Manchester United are not expecting Erik ten Hag to arrive at Carrington this week.
Ten Hag managed Ajax for the last time against Vitesse Arnhem on Sunday and will not travel with the Eredivisie champions on their post-season tour of Curacao as he prepares to formally take over as United manager.
United end their season at Crystal Palace on Sunday with their European competition participation for next season still uncertain.
Read more: Erik ten Hag drops hint on Cristiano Ronaldo's future
West Ham, in seventh, are two points behind sixth-placed United and travel to Brighton on the final day. If West Ham win and United fail to beat Palace then West Ham would qualify for the Europa League next season, consigning United to the Europa Conference League.
Ten Hag is unlikely to talk to United interim manager Ralf Rangnick until next week but the Dutchman has already started to prepare for his new job. United sources say Ten Hag is already engaged with the club on planning for pre-season and next season.
Ten Hag was present for a recruitment meeting in Amsterdam last week which was attended by United football director John Murtough, Ten Hag’s assistant at Ajax Mitchell Van der Gaag, who has agreed to follow him to United, and Steve McClaren, who is expected to join Ten Hag’s backroom staff 21 years after leaving United.
Ten Hag has already reached out to Frenkie de Jong’s agent to gauge the possibility of signing the Barcelona midfielder. The Manchester Evening News reported on Thursday there had been movement from United amid the possibility Barcelona are prepared to sell De Jong in the summer.
After the 2-2 draw with Vitesse, Ten Hag said: “Tomorrow there will be a party with the [Ajax] staff, but I am not going to Curaçao. I think that’s understandable. There is a lot of work to do [at United].
“A number of things still need to be organised in terms of the staff and also in the squad. We will be working intensively on that from tomorrow.”
Ten Hag stressed managing a fractured United dressing room is his priority after a disastrous season.
“It’s time to turn the switch now,” he added. “It’s something that is needed because there is a lot to take care of and I have the energy for it.
“What it’s all about is the dressing room, you need to be able to manage the dressing room. You have to make it function. That’s how you win games.”
