'Don't want to rule anything out' - Erik ten Hag on Manchester United links as Pep Guardiola says 'he could be the one'
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ByEurosport
Updated 02/04/2022 at 08:30 GMT
Erik ten Hag's star continues to shine bright at Ajax and he is said to be one of the front runners to take charge of Manchester United when Ralf Rangnick steps aside at the end of the season. The Dutchman confirmed talks had taken place but that he remains fully focused on his duties with the Amsterdam club.
‘Are you sacking me?’ - Guardiola jokes about being replaced by Ten Hag at Manchester City
Erik ten Hag is not ruling out a switch to Manchester United after confirming talks with the club, but Pep Guardiola muddied the waters by saying the Dutchman could be perfect for Manchester City.
Ten Hag features towards the top of United’s list to replace Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season, and it has been reported that talks between club and coach went well.
It has been claimed that the Red Devils have already explored what figure it would take to prise Ten Hag away from Ajax.
Ten Hag claims his focus is on his duties in Amsterdam, but that things can change quickly.
"My focus is currently only on Ajax, but in football you never know," Ten Hag told Sport1. "I don't want to rule anything out. I'm currently employed here at Ajax to perform. With the cup final against Eindhoven we still have eight finals left and I need all my energy for that. Anything else would just be a distraction.
"I know that everything in football can change from one day to the next. If at some point I should decide to take the next step, I hope that people here will understand."
Asked to comment on whether talks had taken place with United, Ten Hag said: “Everyone knows each other in the industry. There are always talks with representatives from other clubs, that's normal.
"Manchester United is a great club with great fans, but I can only repeat myself: my focus is completely on Ajax. We are already planning for the new season. I've sat down with Ajax after every season so far. That will also be the case this time.
"I can say that Ajax and Erik ten Hag are very happy with each other at the moment."
While he remains one of the front-runners to take charge at Old Trafford, along with Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino, Ten Hag also has an admirer in the blue half of Manchester.
Ten Hag worked under Guardiola at Bayern Munich, and made a positive impression on the City boss.
"Could Erik ten Hag be here at City? Definitely. I think he could be the one," Guardiola said. "For the way he approaches the game, definitely.
“For his qualities, just take a look at his Ajax team in the last years.
“It is a joy to watch and in many games, not just the year they got to the Champions League semi-final, but with little details they would have reached that final."
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