Dusan Tadic believes Manchester United will be hiring one of the best managers in the world when they confirm the appointment of Erik ten Hag.
The Premier League club made a huge breakthrough in negotiations with the 52-year-old this week but no official announcement will be made until after the Dutch Cup final between Ajax and PSV Eindhoven this weekend.
Tadic has been the creative heartbeat of the recent Ajax teams coached by Ten Hag and although the player is hopeful his current boss has a late change of heart, he admits it is only natural Europe’s biggest sides are interested in his services.
Tadic said of Ten Hag: “I hope he stays. He is a great trainer. 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.”
Ten Hag has been quizzed several times on the prospect of him moving to Old Trafford, but he again remained coy during Friday’s pre-match press conference.
‘Because I serve Ajax,’ he said when asked why he would not confirm his impending move. ‘We need to win the two remaining trophies.’ he said.
‘I am not afraid [of discussing United]. I will repeat myself one more time. Do you have questions about the cup final? About Ajax?
‘We have trained fantastically this week. The best in my time at Ajax, so the players are busy with Ajax. ‘They are looking forward to it, there is a lot of energy. Hopefully we will see that during the final on Sunday.’
Meanwhile Ralf Rangnick said: ‘I don’t know if it’s a done deal. My reply is the same as Erik Ten Hag’s was. My focus is on the game tomorrow. ‘Again, we all know he is a good manager, that he has done a good job at Ajax and also at former clubs.
‘But right now it doesn’t make sense to tell you what I think about any other coach.’
