Erik ten Hag: I can break Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp's stranglehold on English football

• Erik ten Hag addressed the media on Monday for the first time as Manchester United manager

Erik ten Hag believes he can break Manchester City and Liverpool’s stranglehold on English football while Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are still in power.

Ten Hag was formally unveiled as United’s new manager on Monday, less than 24 hours after City clinched a fourth Premier League title in five seasons by a point from Liverpool, who will hope to add the Champions League on Saturday to the FA Cup and League Cup they have already won.

By contrast, Ten Hag is taking over a United side that has just had its worst season in the Premier League era, finishing 35 points behind City, and with a squad riven with infighting and in drastic need of an overhaul.

But the Dutchman - who will be assisted by Mitchell van der Gaag and former England manager Steve McClaren at Old Trafford - does not believe it will require the departure of Guardiola or Klopp for their cycle of dominance to end.

Asked if he could break City and Liverpool’s duopoly, Ten Hag replied: “I think yeah.

“In this moment, I admire them both, Manchester City and Liverpool,” he said. “They both play really fantastic football, both Liverpool and Man City. But you will always see an era can come to an end and I am looking forward to battle with them, and I am sure all the other Premier League clubs will want to do that.

“I don’t see it as a risk. This club has a great history and now let’s make a future. It will be exciting to do that.”

Ten Hag stopped short of giving a timeframe of when he expected to mount a concerted title challenge but accepted patience would not be indefinite.

“I don’t think about that in this moment,” he said. “What we’re thinking is, ‘This is a project and it takes time’, but I also know at this club and at other clubs, like Ajax and Bayern Munich, that at the top there is never time but we want to win every game so we go from game to game and then we will see.”

In a rare but brief interview on Monday, Avram Glazer, the co-chairman of United, backed Ten Hag to deliver at Old Trafford. “That's why we hired him, we know he’ll do a great job.”

Glazer, speaking on his way to the World Economic Forum in Davos, conceded that United’s season had been a disappointment.

“It’s a disappointing season for everyone and we’re going to work hard to make next season a better season,” he said.

Pressed on whether United would invest in the squad this summer, Glazer added: “We’ve always spent the money necessary to buy new players.”

With City having already signed the prolific Norway striker Erling Haaland - a long-standing Old Trafford target - for £51million from Borussia Dortmund, the challenge facing United has only intensified. Ten Hag hopes United can get their business done early, with a midfielder, forward and centre-half top of his priority list.

Ten Hag was advised against taking the Old Trafford job by the former United manager and fellow Dutchman Louis van Gaal, who suggested he would be “better off going to a football club” than a “commercial club” like United.

But the former Ajax coach - who has promised to deliver attacking, entertaining, high-pressing football - said he had been assured that football was the number-one priority at Old Trafford.

“I have heard [about Van Gaal’s remarks], but I draw my own line,” he said. “I’m convinced this will not be the case. I spoke with the directors about it. Football is one, two and three at this club and every club these days is commercial. Every club needs it, needs the revenues to be at the top, to do it is necessary but football is one, two, three at this club.

“I spoke with more people who have experience with this club, with experts, but I will draw my own line. I spoke with Louis. I was at his movie premiere.”

United’s dressing room has been plagued by divisions and unrest this season and Ten Hag said it was imperative they all pull together going forward.

“Everywhere I was in my career, I have high demands on my players. I expect them to fight and give 100 per cent. Only good is [not] good enough. We have to do better and they have to cooperate. They have to be unified, to form a team, and to battle the opponent.”

Ralf Rangnick, who has been in interim charge for the past six months, is keen to present his findings on the squad to Ten Hag. Asked if he would listen to the German’s observations, Ten Hag said: “I think it’s part of my analysis; I analyse by myself and I speak with a lot of people. But finally I will draw my own line.”

Asked if he endorsed the consultancy role Rangnick is due to take on, Ten Hag added: “That is on the club.”

Erik ten Hag's first press conference as Manchester United manager, as it happened: 

11:52 AM

Big job

• Ten Hag discovers the scale of United task

11:52 AM

Key lines from Erik ten Hag

• "Everywhere I was in my career, I have high demands on my players. I expect them to fight and give 100 per cent."

• "We have to do better and they have to co-operate. They have to be unified, to form a team, and to battle the opponent"

• Asked whether Ronaldo fits into the project, Ten Hag said: "Of course." Asked what Ronaldo brings, Ten Hag simply said: "Goals."

• Asked if Maguire would stay as skipper, ETH said "next season is a different season" and was similarly non-committal on the role of Ralf Rangnick

11:31 AM

Hotel

11:28 AM

Full report to follow

My own personal view based on that? (Alan Tyers writes)

Sell the sizzle, not the sausage, as Lord Siralan Sugar is fond of saying

Ten Hag seemed like a decent chap but little effort to sell the sizzle. He's relying on delivering the sausage, as it were, and I wonder if he will get enough time to turn around a team that clearly needs major overhauling.

I cannot see the press pack going for him, based on that ultra-guarded start. Maybe the club have told him that getting the hacks onside doesn't matter in this day of in-house social/comms. But a foreign manager found to be dull or ridiculous is usually a goner. Not sure whether the Proper Football Men will have him, either. Maybe. He looks quite hard, which is a bonus. Didn't appear, on first look, to have the swagger that United fans identify with. Early days, I guess.

Two routes to longevity as a manager in the UK: charm and being plausible, or winning all the football matches. He's betting it all on the latter. Good luck to the feller, given the other teams and coaches he'll have to get the better of.

11:23 AM

Will Harry Maguire be your captain?

"I will analyse."

11:22 AM

Have you joined a commercial club? (?)

"Football is 1, 2 and 3 in this club. Every club is commercial. You need revenue."

11:20 AM

Selhurst yesterday?

"I observed, I analysed, but I keep this for me."

11:20 AM

Erik

11:19 AM

Are you looking for more leadership from Ronaldo?

"First I talk with Ronaldo, then I talk with you."

11:18 AM

What can Ronaldo bring?

"Goals."

11:18 AM

Is Ronaldo in your plans?

"Of course."

11:18 AM

Erik ten Hag

"Recruitment is important."

11:17 AM

Bit more press conference

from ETH....

11:14 AM

Well he's not one for drama!

That was.... careful, I would say. Playing his cards very close to his chest. No specifics really to tell you about other than that he wants to win games and he is analysing his playing options.

11:14 AM

The Telegraph's James Ducker asks

will you sit down with Ralf R?

"It is part of my analyse to speak with a lot of people. But I will draw my own line."

Do you think it will be valuable to have him around?

"That is on the club."

11:13 AM

How would you like to see your team play?

"Maybe you have seen Ajax? And I like that. But players dictate the way to play. I will line up my best team. They need to feel comfortable in their role."

11:10 AM

Erik ten Hag

"We want to win every game. We go from game to game and then we will see.

"This club has a great history, now let's make a future. Exciting. 100% committed."

11:09 AM

Second place

"The season before this squad was second in the league so there is huge potential."

Erik has confined himself to generalities so far.

"In every club we think, what is in the spirit of the club? But I also have to bring something, a dynamic. If you want to achieve top you have to...."

do something or other, didn't catch that bit. Sorry about that.

11:06 AM

What is the plan?

"It is huge. And we have only a short time."

"I am still in the process of analysing."

11:06 AM

Why are you confident?

"I have good feeling. Good people around. We have a plan. Now we need to get the plan done."

11:05 AM

What are your first thoughts?

ETH: "I make analyse and we are in the lead of this process. I observe. I will set of course conclusions but for now I keep it to myself."

11:04 AM

Erik ten Hag

"I'm really exciting to be here.  Looking forward to the new season. I feel welcome, this is my home. And I wanted to achieve success."

11:04 AM

Ten Hag shakes hands

with a few of the journos, and we are off.

11:01 AM

Erik's up then

Quotes to follow from the man who has signed a three-year contract. Stephen Warnock is on Sky Sports News, and he'd rather have seen a five-year deal. Well, more on that as we have it I guess.

10:50 AM

Three Dutchmen

10:44 AM

More recent history

Talking about the more recent past, he said:

"First we must accept the current situation but also know that one year ago, this club, this team was second in the Premier League. There’s potential and now it’s up to us to get that out.

"It’s a process, it will take time but I’m convinced we will come to that point where we get success. We have to work hard and it has to be based on the right philosophy and strategy.

"We will have a break and then start pre-season on June 27. In certain positions we want to renew the squad, but as I said, one year ago this squad was second in the league, so there is potential and I’m really looking forward to co-operating with the squad."

Quotes from manutd.com

10:43 AM

Erik Ten Hag press conference is at noon

He's already spoken with MUFC's own website.

"I know the history of Man United, I know the big times and the audience, the vibe that can be around Old Trafford. I watched them in their big times, when Sir Alex Ferguson was manager during the really successful times when they won titles and were dominating Europe.

"But also before Sir Alex, Man United was a really big club, and I know names like Busby and Charlton that gave United a presence to the outside world from winning and winning in a spectacular way, winning so they entertain people. What stays with me is there was always a fighting culture. They fight together and they get success."

Quotes from manutd.com

10:41 AM

Erik the Red in his Ajax days

10:13 AM

DI Ten Hag

10:08 AM

Welcome to the Manchester

09:52 AM

That MUFC TV interview

was conducted by Pien Meulensteen, who is the daughter of  René Meulensteen, once a coach at United,

09:33 AM

Few other morsels from Ten Hag's club interview

on MUFC's state-run media arm.

• He's starting pre-season on the 27th June

• He has never been to a game at Old Trafford

• Dutch mucker Edwin van der Saar has been marking his card about what to expect.

09:30 AM

Watching a few minutes

of ETH on the Man United official channel. Verdict: his English is good, but not great. Not saying that in a judgemental way - you should hear my Dutch - but just because it's the sort of thing that becomes a stick to beat a foreign manager with if they don't immediately win the approval of the Proper Football Men.

For instance...

Question: what excites you most about managing this club?

Ten Hag: I think many. First of all, we want to make the fans pride.

09:22 AM

Questions, questions, questions

Hello, Tyers here, and welcome to our live blog of Erik ten Hag’s unveiling as Manchester United manager. The new occupant of the Old Trafford hotseat will face the press at noon, he’s already done an interview with the club’s in-house PR department, which we will fillet for titbits right away.

Whether or not he gets the tough questions today we will have to see, but he certainly has some ticklish problems to answer. The broadest and most important one: how does he get Manchester United back to the top?

All sorts of factors come into it, of course. Will he make some signings this summer, and if so, whom? What are the futures of, for instance, Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo? If Ronaldo stays, does the new man have to design an attacking game based around CR7? If so, how can he also implement more coherence between the midfield and attack? And what does he do about his defence?

Helping him answer these questions will be his fellow Dutchman, Steve McClaren, who has been named as an assistant coach, presumably on the strength of his United knowledge, and his comedy Netherlands accent. Looking forward to hearing more of that.

The new boss comes to Old Trafford fresh from winning the Dutch league with Ajax and, as with any foreign manager who is not a household name, there will be ex-players and fans queuing up to ask whether He Knows The Premier League. He needs to hit the ground running, and a strong performance in front of the cameras today could make all the difference.

A few Erik ten Hag facts: he’s 52. He was a centre back as a player, most associated with Twente, for whom he had three spells. He got Utrecht to the Europa League qualifiers, before getting the biggest job in Dutch football. He brings with him his Ajax assistant, Mitchell van der Gaag.

09:09 AM

The Ten Hag era begins

By James Ducker

Manchester United have formally announced the appointment of Steve McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag as new manager Erik ten Hag’s assistants at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag is due to hold his first press conference as United manager on Monday lunchtime.

Former England manager McClaren and Van der Gaag were at Selhurst Park on Sunday with Ten Hag to watch United slump to their 12th league defeat of a wretched season.

Van der Gaag’s appointment is still subject to the Dutchman being granted a Governing Body Endorsement by the Football Association, which is the pathway to him being granted a UK visa.

Van der Gaag, 50, was Ten Hag’s assistant at Ajax this season as the club won a third Eredivisie title in four seasons. Prior to that, he spent two years in charge of Ajax’s reserve team.

His coaching career began in Portugal with Maritimo and then Belenenses, whom he led to the Primeira Liga after winning the Portuguese second division title. He returned home to the Netherlands in 2015 after a short spell in Cyprus and worked for FC Eindhoven, Excelsior and NAC before moving to Ajax in 2019.

McClaren is a much more familiar face to United and English audiences and previously worked with Ten Hag at Twente. Ten Hag fought hard to add McClaren to his staff and believes his experience and knowledge of English football will be invaluable.

He was Sir Alex Ferguson’s No 2 when United won an historic treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 1998/99.

McClaren left United in 2001 to take over Middlesbrough manager, with whom he won the League Cup in 2004 and reached a Uefa Cup final two years later.

McClaren had 18 months in charge of England over 2006 and 2007.

It would prove a bruising period but McClaren restored his reputation at Twente in Holland, which is where he worked with Ten Hag for the first time after appointment the Dutchman as his assistant.

McClaren became the first Englishman since Sir Bobby Robson with Porto in 1996 to win a top level domestic title overseas when he guided Twente to their first ever Eredivisie title in his second season in charge.

He would return to Twente in 2012 after a spell at Wolfsburg in Germany. More recently, he has worked at Derby, Newcastle and QPR.

Ralf Rangnick took charge of his final game as interim manager against Palace. Several of his staff, including assistant Chris Armas and analyst Ewan Sharp, will leave the club. Psychologist Sascha Lense is also due to depart. Eric Ramsay is staying on to become part of Ten Hag’s backroom team.