Erik ten Hag seems to have already been touched by the ongoing curse which appears to impact everything connected with Manchester United.
Ajax remain top of the table in the Eredivisie as they look to retain their title, and they beat NEC 1-0 on Saturday. Despite that, there’s increasing digs being sent towards the manager and doubts placed on the legacy he’s set to leave at the Amsterdam club.
This is a fresh situation for the manager, as he’s usually been praised widely in the Dutch media, but the focus is now greater after he agreed to become Manchester United’s next manager.
SoccerNews.nl have brought some comments together, from print and broadcast media in the Netherlands, which appear to be critical of Ten Hag.
Rafael van der Vaart, who often has critical things to say, about pretty much anyone, is quoted as saying: “The energy is no longer there at Ajax. It’s all a hassle; everyone is out of shape, that whole Onana thing and the unrest in the dressing room. The title is almost like a consolation prize.
“It will then be a less beautiful championship. As a player I have had that sometimes, that you thought: the others were worse, but we were not much better.”
Pierre van Hooijdonk was mixed in his assessment of Ten Hag’s time with Ajax: “Ten Hag has done a fantastic job, but he doesn’t leave anything behind. There is nothing you can build on as a new trainer.”
Willem van Hanegem, another former footballer, was also mixed: “Ten Hag would have been the most successful trainer in Amsterdam in years, but the positive feeling is mainly based on that one strong season in the Champions League, when Juventus and Real Madrid were tapped away in their own stadium. That was a while ago. Yes, this season they won all group matches in the Champions League. It is useless if you are immediately knocked out against Benfica. And in the Eredivisie it is getting worse by the minute.”
Whilst it won’t be pleasant for Ten Hag to be leaving the Netherlands with a group of people taking snipes at him, it will certainly help prepare him for the non-stop scrutiny he’ll get at Manchester United.
