Ten Hag's Man Utd appointment 'confirmed' by Ajax chief in intriguing admission

Ajax chief Gerry Hamstra has seemingly confirmed Erik ten Hag is on the way to Manchester United after failing to sign a new contract with the Amsterdam giants.

The newly-appointed technical director - who has replaced Marc Overmars - was quizzed about Ten Hag ahead of Sunday afternoon's Dutch Cup final against PSV Eindhoven and confessed he had tried "everything" to keep hold of their manager to no avail so far. Hamstra even confirmed there was a new contract on the table for the Dutchman and vowed to continue his efforts to convince him to stay.

"I can be very succinct about that," he told ESPN Netherlands of Ten Hag's situation. "We have done everything we can and are doing everything we can to keep him on board. Contract extension offered? Yes. More money? Everything that comes with it, without going into detail."

Hamstra also admitted the ball is in Ten Hag's court, adding: "Erik can ultimately determine his own future, he is old and wise enough for that. We have two scenarios: we really hope he stays, it makes sense that there is interest in him. And if he doesn't stay, we have to be ready for the second scenario."

Ten Hag has just over a year remaining on his current contract and he is believed to have reached a verbal agreement to arrive at Old Trafford this summer. He has seldom discussed his next move even as speculation has raged throughout the second half of the season but Ajax captain Dusan Tadic gave an honest verdict on his manager earlier this week.

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"I hope he stays, he is a great trainer," Tadic said of Ten Hag. "One of the best in the world. Tactically he thinks two steps ahead of the opponent. It is a pleasure to work with him. It is logical that there is interest in Ajax's trainer and players. That will always be the case. That is also why we are Ajax. We also have to radiate that."

As well as leading Ajax to the Dutch Cup final, Ten Hag has steered the club to the summit of the Eredivisie table with a four-point lead over PSV as they attempt to defend their top-flight crown. The highly-rated coach reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019 and he fended off competition from Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino to pull clear in the race to take over at Old Trafford ahead of next season.