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Since coming onboard ahead of the new season, INEOS not only funded a massive summer signing spree but also decided to revamp Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff.
They were far from impressed with the Red Devils’ worst-ever Premier League finish and decided changes were required in the hierarchy of the club and in the coaching structure.
In came former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake from Go Ahead Eagles while former assistant manager and Ten Hag’s second-in-command Mitchell van der Gaag left along with Benni McCarthy and Steve McClaren.
Van der Gaag had been there with Ten Hag during his years at Ajax and followed him to Manchester but eventually left the role as he wanted to experience a senior managerial role after years of being an assistant.
Van der Gaag spills the beans on United spell
While he is yet to find a new project, the former centre-back spoke about why he felt it was time to leave United and pursue his own career ambitions.
“What happened? Well, not so much. My ambition is to become a head coach again, after first being an assistant at Ajax and then at Manchester United. It’s great to be an assistant, but at a certain point you also have to follow your ambitions again,” he told NOS.
Despite a poor league season, the former Marítimo boss did clinch the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in his two seasons at Old Trafford and he spoke glowingly of his time in the English top-flight.
He also explained why the league is the most competitive in the world and how that helped him hone his craft.
“Those were two great years, because you really work at the top. And I’m not just talking about United, but also the entire competition.
“Normally you see the Premier League on television, now I was in the middle of it. If you look at the tactical variation, to use a coaching term: it is top in the Premier League. It was enjoyable.”
He was inevitably asked about Ten Hag’s future after the club’s worst start to the league in 35 years and Van der Gaag explained that the result at Brentford would afford his compatriot more time to try and fix things at the club.
The former United assistant coach explained that INEOS did trust Ten Hag but as has been the case at the Theatre of Dreams since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, it is a far more challenging job than most people are aware of.
On EtH’s future
But he was bullish about Ten Hag’s prospects due to his ability to keep looking forward and working towards the intended goal and not letting the outside noise bog him down.
“You see with Ineos that they are in line with Ten Hag and dare to look ahead. But in that whole process you do need results. In that respect, it is nice that you enjoyed this last weekend Brentford wins.
“If it was an easy job, everyone could be there. Since the departure of Alex Ferguson, there have been ups and downs. The great thing about Erik is: he always keeps looking ahead and moving forward. You can’t control the rest.”
The 20-time English league champions will look to build on the weekend result when they take on Fenerbahce in the Europa League as they look to grab their first win of the competition against former United boss Jose Mourinho.
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