Erik ten Hag set to be appointed Manchester United manager - Reports

Manchester United has decided on its next full-time manager. Erik ten Hag will be announced for the role in the coming days.

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Record 20-time former English Premier League (EPL) champion Manchester United has reportedly decided on its next full-time head coach. Current Ajax boss Erik ten Hag is all set to be appointed for the role at Old Trafford in the coming days. Currently, the club is at the finals stages of confirming his appointment.

According to ESPN, ten Hag was among the four men shortlisted for the role and was interviewed by United last month, Mauricio Pochettino (Paris Saint-Germain), Luis Enrique (Spain) and Julen Lopetegui (Sevilla). While Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea) and Julian Nagelsmann (Bayern Munich) were also in contention, they were ruled out as they could not attend the interview procedure to their commitment to their current employers. Meanwhile, sources have confirmed that the Dutchman is set to take the role with the Red Devils from next season.

While earlier reports suggested that United hierarchies were split between ten Hag and Pochettino, the former ultimately got the upper hand from most, especially from club CEO Richard Arnold and joint chairman Joel Glazer. Although the Argentine was a heavy favourite, his recent struggles with PSG, accompanied by a hefty release clause, forced the Red Devils to think otherwise. While Pochettino has a £15 million release clause, it is just £1.7 million for ten Hag.

Meanwhile, Rene Meulensteen is considered ten Hag's assistant for United, as the former was United's first-team coach under Sir Alex Ferguson. Also, the club management is working on the players' list to be handed to ten Hag, besides him presenting his list. The Dutchman has won five titles with Ajax since joining in 2017, including a couple of Eredivisie titles and turning it into a force in Europe.