Erik ten Hag has described Manchester United as ‘a great club’ amid speculation he is set to me named their next manager.
The Red devils are currently in the process of hiring Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s permanent replacement, with interim coach Ralf Rangnick set to vacate his position at the end of the campaign.
Ten Hag was interviewed by United chiefs last month and has emerged as the favourite, despite the club maintaining an interest in Mauricio Pochettino.
The 52-year-old’s Ajax contract has little over 12 months to run but the Dutchman says his full focus remains on guiding his current team to further success, before he contemplates his future at the end of the campaign.
He told Sport1: ‘My focus is currently only on Ajax. But in football you never know. I don’t want to rule anything out. I’m currently employed here at Ajax to perform.
‘With the cup final against Eindhoven, we still have eight finals left, and I need all my energy for that. Anything else would just be a distraction.
‘I know that in football everything can change from one day to the next. If at some point I should decide to take the next step, I hope that people here will understand.’
Asked directly about United and how discussions with the club had gone, he added: ‘Everyone knows each other in the industry. There are always talks with representatives from other clubs, that’s normal.
‘Manchester United is a great club with great fans. But I can only repeat myself: My full focus is completely on Ajax! We are already planning for the new season.
‘I’ve sat down with Ajax after every season so far. That will also be the case this time. I can say that Ajax and Erik ten Hag are very happy with each other at the moment.’
