(Football news) New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has suggested that he will begin his role at Old Trafford today, admitting that “there is a lot of work to be done”. The Dutch manager took charge of his final game at Ajax in their 2-2 draw against Vitesse on Sunday, having guided the team to their third Eredivisie title. However, the 52 year old has said that he won’t be joining the squad for their post-season trip to Curacao and will turn his attention to Manchester United.

In an interview, Erik ten Hag said “Yes, there will be a party tomorrow [Monday] with the entire staff, but that will be it then. No, I will not be joining them [to Curacao]. That is correct, I think that's understandable. There's a lot of work to be done there [at United]. Of course. There's a lot of work at every club. A manager's job is especially focused on the preparations for next season. And there's a lot of work to be done in that regard. Regarding the staff, there are several things that need to be organised. And also regarding the team and over the next several days, or actually as of tomorrow [Monday], we will be focusing on that intensively."

Ten Hag’s assistant manager at Ajax, Mitchell van der Gaag has also been linked to Manchester United while the Dutchman is also keen to bring Steve McLaren back to the club. The 61 year old has previously worked under Sir Alex Ferguson as part of his coaching staff. Last week, Ten Hag had a meeting with Manchester United football director John Murtough in Amsterdam to discuss transfers and strategy with Van Der Gaag and Steve McLaren also present at the meeting. 

Manchester United are currently sixth in the Premier League and need a win over Crystal Palace on the final day of the season to be guaranteed a spot in the Europa League next season. Ten Hag could be in attendance for the match, the Dutchman has signed a three year contract with the club and is the fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. The Red Devils have been linked to Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong who worked alongside Ten Hag at Ajax from 2017 to 2019 before his move to the Catalan giants for £75m.

Also read: Man City’s title hopes dealt with a major blow after West Ham draw