(Football news) Manchester United have confirmed the appointment of Steve McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag in the role of assistant managers under Erik ten Hag. McClaren, who previously worked under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford from 1999 to 2001 and has previously worked alongside Ten Hag when the Dutch manager was his assistant at FC Twente. As for Van Der Gaag, he has been Erik ten Hag’s assistant at Ajax and the manager of the club’s reserve team for the last two years.

Van der Gaag’s appointment is subject to Governing Body Endorsement from the FA and a UK visa. He began his career at PSV Eindhoven and has played for NEC, Sparta Rotterdam and Utrecht as well as Scottish top flight club Motherwell for two years. The 50 year old began his coaching career at Portuguese club Maritimo followed by Belenenses. He has also worked for FC Eindhoven, Excelsior and NAC before joining Ajax in 2019. 

As for McClaren, he was part of a huge successful spell at Manchester United from 1999 to 2001 followed by becoming a manager at Middlesbrough where he won the League Cup in 2004 and reached the UEFA Cup final in 2006. He was then appointed the England national team manager in May 2006 and left the role in November 2007. Speaking about Ten Hag, McClaren said “I thought I worked hard until I met Erik. His great strength lies not just in his attention to detail and organisation. He has a clear philosophy of how he wants to play football; the environment he wants to create.” 

The Yorkshireman guided FC Twente to their first Eredivisie title in the club’s history, finishing ahead of Ajax by 1 point. The achievement meant McClaren was the first English manager to win a top flight title since Bobby Robson in 1996. He has also managed the likes of Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Newcastle United and Queen’s Park Rangers and was most recently working alongside Wayne Rooney as an advisor at Derby County. 

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