Steve McClaren compares Erik ten Hag to Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson

13.04.2022 - 17:57 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Steve McClaren has compared Erik ten Hag to Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson.

MEN Sport has revealed that Ajax are expecting Ten Hag to leave the club ahead of the new season. Last month the Dutchman was interviewed for the permanent position, which has been vacant since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November.

McClaren has been linked with a return to the Theatre of Dreams having worked with Ten Hag at FC Twente. At that time the former Middlesbrough boss was the head coach while Ten Hag was his assistant.

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As the 52-year-old's appointment at creeps closer, the former England manager believes that there is a similarity between Ten Hag and United legend Ferguson — who he's also worked with. He told The Athletic : "We were starting pre-season training the day after I was appointed.

" Ten Hag brought out this folder, and there were six weeks worth of pre-season training planned in there. Every minute of every day was laid out, from drinks sessions to warming down, to individual work.

"It was so detailed. I’d not seen anything like it before, and I’ve not seen anything like it since. He would prepare meticulous game plans about the opposition. How we were going to press, how we were going to build up.

"I thought I knew football before, but going there and experiencing that... I knew nothing about football."

What particularly impressed McClaren was Ten Hag's ability to read the game. He added: "He could see things in the game that nobody else could see, myself included.

"I have to sit up in the stands to see the patterns of a game, but he could stand on the touchline [and see them]. He always knew the answer to