Former Ajax defender Léon Bergsma has backed manager Erik ten Hag to be a big hit at the club and for Donny van de Beek to thrive under his leadership.
Ten Hag is set to arrive at Old Trafford in the summer, having finalised a deal to be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s long-term replacement last month.
He will arrive at a club in desperate need of an overhaul, with Manchester United having fallen further away from the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City this season.
There is a feeling that the club needs a complete restart by stripping the squad and upper management and redesigning their transfer strategy to help them get back to where they once where.
Ten Hag is seen as the ideal man to do that, particularly lead the rebuild, having done so numerous times at Ajax when they have sold off their star players each year.
That will take time, of course, and Bergsma has insisted that will be the key factor to determining if the Dutchman can be a success.
“Manchester United have not done so well in recent years, so he steps in at a good time,” he told Ajax Showtime.
“It’s going to be difficult to join Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. They’ve left a big gap to the rest of the league.”
While there are likely to be a host of departures from United this summer, one man who will be returning is Donny van de Beek.
He’s currently on loan at Everton, having moved to Goodison Park in search of regular playing time following a frustrating spell in Manchester following his arrival from Ajax.
He is due to return to Old Trafford in the summer, where he will reunite with Ten Hag, whom he managed 32 goals and 29 assists for in 110 games at Ajax.
He will be hoping they can reignite that relationship at Manchester United, and Bergsma is confident that will happen.
“He now has an unfortunate loan spell at Everton because of his injuries,” he added.
“The fact that a Dutch coach comes, with whom you have already had a pleasant cooperation, is for him the most positive thing that could happen.
“I expect that he will get more opportunities, although he will have to force them himself, of course.”
