Erik ten Hag has once more stood by the tactical approach of Manchester United and shed light on the challenges of implementing ‘the Ajax way’ at Old Trafford.
Upon his arrival nearly two years prior, expectations were high for ten Hag to transform the team’s style from the counter-attacking strategy employed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and later, Ralf Rangnick, as interim manager.
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Ajax’s reputation for a systematic, possession-centric game is deeply rooted in the Total Football philosophy of Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff, which also greatly influences Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola.
The Red Devils had previously experienced a similar shift under Louis van Gaal, who reoriented the team from a counter-attacking unit to one that prioritized ball control, increasing their average possession from 42% (ninth in the Premier League) to 58.8% (leading the league) in his inaugural season.
However, this season has seen United engage in dynamic, full-throttle matches, with less command over the game, reflected in their 50.4% possession rate, placing them 10th in a league that has largely moved towards a style characterized by ball dominance.
In a detailed conversation with Gary Neville for Sky Sports, ten Hag has revealed his reasons for not pursuing an Ajax-style game at United, attributing it mainly to the squad he inherited and the inability to secure a crucial player during his first summer transfer window.
Asked why he felt he could not bring Ajax’s playing style to the Man United team, Ten Hag said: ‘Because then you have to bring in players.
‘So in the recruitment you need the players with those typical assets [that Ajax players have] and you can’t bring a player who is here who has a [different] style of play and I don’t want to change his nature.’
Probed on whether the signing of Frenkie de Jong in the summer of 2022 would have allowed him to play a style similar to Ajax’s, Ten Hag agreed and added: ‘That would have been Frenkie de Jong and Casemiro.
‘They would have been really connected with each other, they would have been really complementary with each other, absolutely. But that is a typical player, if you want to play the Ajax style, you need that type of player, yeah.’
United engaged in prolonged negotiations with Barcelona to secure the transfer of De Jong, but ultimately, the deal did not materialize.
The Dutch international rose to prominence under Ten Hag’s guidance. In the current season, De Jong stands out in La Liga with an average of 82 passes per game, leading the league and serving as the core playmaker for his team. In contrast, Manchester United’s leading passer, Bruno Fernandes, averages 55 passes per game.
Ten Hag also defended his team’s performances and again attributed any issues to their injury list this campaign, saying: ‘We are not where we want to be with the way we want to play, but the headlines are still there because we want to be proactive, be dynamic and we want to play with a high line. That’s what we always aim for.
‘We have made improvements. We score more goals after the winter break and also we were more consistent. We haven’t had so many defeats in 2024 – only three defeats – but we draw too much. What we can do is put ourselves in a winning position, but then you have to draw to bring it over the line.
‘When you have so many changes in back four, the rules and principles remain the same, but the patterns are not there. We don’t bring the results and we know that.’
Despite not securing De Jong, Ten Hag has successfully integrated several former Ajax talents into United, including Lisandro Martinez and Antony. Additionally, goalkeeper Andre Onana, who also has roots in Ajax, was part of the team’s past roster.
