Erik ten Hag was the answer for Tottenham, as his unstoppable Ajax side show

Spurs had three former Ajax players in their line up that day, and four in their squad. Had things turned out differently this summer, they may have also taken their manager.

Erik ten Hag looked like he'd agreed to the impossible in 2017 when he took over an Ajax side that had just made a run to the Europa League final where they lost to Manchester United.

Instead, he built upon the lofty expectations raised by current Lyon manager Peter Bosz, taking his side seconds from an impossible Champions League final appearance, and has achieved the domestic double twice since.

This season, things have continued to improve, with Ajax scoring 37 goals and conceding just two in nine games since an opening Super Cup loss to PSV Eindhoven.

The side from Amsterdam are set to dominate the Eredivisie again this season after winning it with 102 goals in 34 games last time out, and they're proving they're for real on the continent.

Taking on Portuguese champions Sporting CP and Turkish champions Besiktas in the Champions League, Ajax have recorded 5-1 and 2-0 wins, managing the best goal difference of any side in the competition.

ten Hag has been on the radar of many of Europe's biggest clubs, including Bayern Munich and Barcelona, but Tottenham had their chance to sign him this summer, and may be regretting not doing so.

Spurs eventually landed on former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo during a chaotic summer, but ten Hag was reportedly one candidate Daniel Levy discussed the role with, but neither party were convinced.

Tottenham look in need of a rebuild following the departures of their Ajax trio of Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, with wantaway striker Harry Kane also complicating matters.

A fine start that had Spurs top of the league has collapsed into three defeats on the bounce, with many claiming the end of Nuno may already be near.

ten Hag, though, has seen Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Hakim Ziyech and Donny van de Beek among others depart, yet he still keeps winning.

"I think he has what it takes [to rebuild Tottenham] but he really needs a good relationship with the owner of the club when it comes to the right recruitment and the right signings for the right spots and his style of play," talkSPORT was told by a popular Ajax journalist.

"If the relationship with him and the owner is good and they will give him the space and time and the recruitment that he wants and he feels necessary then he could rebuild that club, 100%."

ten Hag shares plenty of similarities to his opposite number during that famous night in Amsterdam, with Maurcio Pochettino similarly moving to the Premier League with a poor grasp of English, but his faith in his tactics shone through.

"He sticks to his philosophy no matter what, he will always hold onto it," talkSPORT was told.

"He's a very interesting guy, he's not very smooth, he's very awkward and uncomfortable in interviews.

"In the Netherlands people often say he's a little bit weird. He's a little bit strange, but he's extremely intelligent and for some reason he always makes the team perform and deliver in right way, with attractive football, so that makes up for it.

"His English is terrible, absolutely terrible, and those are big necessary things to manage a big squad and please the guys who don't play."

ten Hag has drawn comparisons to Pep Guardiola for his style and use of youth at Ajax, and it's no coincidence considering the pair worked together at Bayern Munich when the Dutchman was at the helm of the B team.

The 51-year-old has even been linked to the managerial job at Guardiola's old side Barcelona, taking on the most impossible of rebuilds following the departure of Lionel Messi.

For now though, ten Hag is set to stay after signing a contract extension until 2023.

But should he conceive another European miracle, which could well be a possibility with this perfectly rebuilt side firing on all cylinders, Spurs could regret not acting sooner, as someone else definitely will.