The ‘surprising’ decision that ‘left Ten Hag on an island’ at Man Utd

Erik ten Hag made one crucial mistake which may have led to his sacking at Manchester United, according to another former Dutch Premier League manager.

United sacked Ten Hag in October after just over two years in charge, with a disappointing run of form leading to the club replacing him with Ruben Amorim.

Ten Hag’s final few months at Old Trafford saw him bring in the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, while a number of Dutch coaches also joined his coaching staff during his tenure.

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The decision to surround himself with a number of ‘confidants’ caused ‘surprise’ to ex-Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink, who believed it may have hindered Ten Hag’s ‘integration’ at United.

“Everyone does it in their own way, but I was surprised at how many confidants Erik gathered around him,” Hiddink told Dutch outlet Voetbal International. “Then you end up on an island, which makes it more difficult to integrate into the culture of your new club and is watched with suspicion.

“I always took one assistant abroad with me, with whom I could map out things in the field of football. I therefore opted for local trainers and supervisors. People who knew the club or the country well.

“You play a role in how you are judged. Sometimes approach it with a wink. I mean, we are talking about football, not about war and peace.”

How do Amorim and Ten Hag’s coaching staff compare?

Ten Hag’s departure saw a number of his allies follow him out the door such as Rene Hake, Jelle ten Rouwelaar and Pieter Morel, while Van Nistelrooy also left after a brief stint as interim manager, with the former United striker appointed as manager of Leicester soon after.

Amorim’s arrival saw the Portuguese boss bring in five of his staff members from Sporting, although the likes of Darren Fletcher, Andreas Georgson and Craig Mawson continued in their roles as senior United coaching staff.

Ten Hag had appointed former United coach Steve McClaren to his staff upon his arrival in 2022 but the ex-England manager left his role in July for a stint in charge of the Jamaica national team.

Another of Ten Hag’s former assistants from Ajax, Mitchell van de Gaag, also left in the summer to puruse a managerial role, while ex-South Africa international Benni McCarthy also departed at the same time.