Erik ten Hag is great manager who has improved himself so much, gushes Dirk Kuyt

Erik ten Hag is great manager who has improved himself so much, gushes Dirk Kuyt

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Erik ten Hag

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Former Netherland star Dirk Kuyt believes that Erik ten Hag is a great manager and someone who has come leaps and bounds since his first job with Bayern Munich’s second team. The Ajax coach is a highly rated manager and someone who is considered to be the front-runner for the Manchester United job.

Over the last few months as Manchester United reportedly conduct their search for their next manager, one name has popped up more than most. With Erik ten Hag doing an exceptional job at Ajax, it has seen the Dutchman heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford to take up the empty managerial space. However, that has seen several managers, critics and fans alike talk up the role or tell Ten Hag not to do it with there concerns over United’s long-term plans for the future.

But the Dutchman isn’t the only name on the shortlist as he is joined by Mauricio Pochettino, Julen Lopetegui and Luis Enrique but reports have indicated that he is a front-runner. In light of that, Dirk Kuyt has praised the Ajax coach and believes that Ten Hag has worked to reach where he is, coming leaps and bounds as a manager since his time at Bayern. Not only that, the former Liverpool man admitted that his tactical knowledge is impressive and that in his opinion, the Ajax coach is a star.

“Ten Hag is a great, experienced coach. He’s done his apprenticeship, if you like, with Bayern Munich’s second team, then Utrecht and now at Ajax.  He is a great manager who has improved himself so much, on and off the pitch,” Kuyt told Goal. 

“I know some people were doubting his level of speaking English, his performance in front of the camera, but you see him growing every week as a manager, and I think he can do a great job at any top side in Europe.  His tactics, his way of thinking about football, is very interesting, and it would be great if he was to get an opportunity at a top side,” he added.

The former Feyenoord and Liverpool forward also praised Ajax midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who has been linked with a move away from the Dutch league. Kuyt admitted that the teenager is amongst the great talented players that Holland posses but while he believes that the move to Bayern Munich could be good, he added that the 19-year-old should stay at Ajax for a while. 

“We have so many talented players in Holland, and Gravenberch is definitely one of them.  He’s doing really well at Ajax. He had a couple of games where he wasn’t playing, when Ten Hag was choosing other midfielders, but he’s coming back now and he is definitely one of the future stars of Dutch football. In Holland they speak a lot about him moving to Bayern Munich, which would be a great step for him, but also, we say that sometimes it’s better to stay a little longer and play a few more games here. 

“Sometimes players leave too quickly, and these days it’s not too easy to make the step from the Eredivisie to the Bundesliga or the Premier League, or any big side in Europe, because the level of top teams is so big.  But for me, he’s a future star and he has everything to be a great player for the next couple of years," he further revealed.

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