Even if there is still a certain air of secrecy around the selection of Erik ten Hag as the future manager of Manchester United, we should have a lot better picture of what he will bring to Old Trafford in the coming months.
After months of speculation, Manchester United revealed on Thursday that manager Louis van Gaal would take over at the conclusion of the season. Club sources had already admitted that a deal was nearly done before the formal announcement. United decided to wait until after the Dutch Cup final last weekend before announcing Ten Hag's signing in order to avoid creating an extra distraction from the task at hand.
It is certain that Ajax's final five Eredivisie games will generate increased interest as they look to win their third league title under Ten Hag. The team's trip to NEC Nijmegen on Saturday will pique the interest of many fans. They are confident in their ability to control their own destiny as they presently sit at the top of the table, four points ahead of PSV.
Defending champions Ten Hag's side would need to lose at least two games in order to have a chance of losing the title, though even that scenario would rely on their opponents winning all of their games. Even though a third title in four years appears to be a foregone conclusion at this point in the season, it will be a difficult test of mental fortitude for Ten Hag to guide his team through the final stretch unscathed amid the enormous expectation of another title triumph and the increased interest in whether or not they are successful.
Given the circumstances surrounding the 2-1 setback to PSV Eindhoven, it would be prudent to get it over with as soon as possible, potentially galvanizing the team even more in order to guarantee their boss was given the best possible send-off. Ten Hag will be unable to avoid the oncoming change in his professional life this weekend, even if he chooses to stay coy whenever he is questioned by the media about his upcoming move to England.
Having already lost the Dutch Cup final and been eliminated by Benfica in the Champions League last 16 this season, there are some reservations about his team's capacity to cope with the strain this season, something he will have to get used to at Manchester United. What this all boils down to is that, regardless of whether or not Ajax manages to win the league title, Ten Hag will still walk into his new role at Old Trafford with full support from the club to turn around their fortunes, though he'll have even more doubters to prove wrong if his final season in Amsterdam ends with no silverware.
Even though ten Hag claims that his entire attention at the moment is on the final few games of his contract with Ajax, the reality is that he will now be judged by the near-flawless standards that United fans have come to expect from the club's manager. Ten Hag has just been dealt a colossal amount of pressure, and he is relishing every minute of it.
