MANCHESTER: Manchester United has hired Erik ten Hag as its fifth manager in nine years, with the Dutchman leaving his role at Ajax at the end of the season.
Ten Hag signed a contract to 2025 with the task of bringing back the successes not seen at United since the retirement of Alex Ferguson in 2013 when the club won the last of its record 20 English titles.
United has been led by two interim managers — Michael Carrick and currently Ralf Rangnick — since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired in November.
Ten Hag faces a big rebuilding job at United, which has slipped way behind rivals Manchester City and Liverpool despite the club continuing to spend heavily on players.
The three-time European champion might not even return to the Champions League next season. United is three points out of the Premier League's top four with five games remaining and hasn't won a trophy since beating Ajax in the Europa League final in 2017.
Ten Hag took over as Ajax coach later that year, and led the team to two Eredivisie titles as well as the Champions League semifinals in 2019.