Ten Hag makes decision on Man Utd No.2 after holding talks with Steve McClaren

Erik ten Hag is keen to bring his assistant Mitchell van der Gaag from Ajax to Manchester United, after reaching an agreement in principle to take over at Old Trafford.

The 50-year-old has been Ten Hag's number two since the start of this season, having previously managed Ajax's reserve side in the Dutch second tier. As a player, he represented the Netherlands under-21 side and also spent time in the Scottish top-flight with Motherwell.

Ten Hag is due to take over ahead of the 2022-23 season, with Ralf Rangnick finishing his interim tenure and moving into a consulting role. And, while he is reportedly keen on bringing Van der Gaag along, the former Utrecht boss has also held talks with former United assistant Steve McClaren.

According to The Athletic, there has been no contact between United and McClaren, despite the Englishman having spoken with Ten Hag. McClaren was Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant when United won the Champions League in 1999, and had two spells in the Netherlands as manager of FC Twente.

McClaren's last managerial role was at Queen's Park Rangers in the 2018-19 season. However, more recently he has worked with Derby County, who are managed by former United star Wayne Rooney.

The former Middlesbrough boss also spent time as Sven Goran Eriksson's number two when the Swede was England manager. He was in the dugout for major tournaments in 2002, 2004 and 2006, and succeeded Eriksson as manager before being dismissed when England failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

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Despite the verbal agreement, Ten Hag is not expected to be officially confirmed as Man Utd manager until after the KNVB Cup final on Sunday. Ajax are up against PSV Eindhoven in the final, and could end the season with a domestic double if they win on Sunday and keep their narrow lead over Roger Schmidt's side in the league.

Former PSV and Netherlands star Ibrahim Afellay has told Ten Hag there is "no better time" to join United, with the Red Devils likely to miss out on Champions League football. Rangnick's side are six points outside the Premier League's top four, with just seven league games remaining, and were dumped out of Europe by Atletico Madrid in March.

"I would definitely go, if he can bend it to his will," Afellay told Studio Voetbal (via the Manchester Evening News ). "If you are to believe the reports, he has certain requirements and that is only a good thing. There is no better time to get in."