Guardiola, who worked with Ten Haag at Bayern Munich, believes he would fit in well even at the Etihad Stadium when the Spaniard finally leaves. The City coach, who has a contract until the end of next season, said in a press conference: “You ask me if Eric Ten Hague could be here? For sure. “A lot could be here and I think he could be one of them. For the way he approaches the game, for sure, for sure. I will say (the) to (football director) Tziki (Begiristan) now!” Guardiola’s comments come after Louis van Gaal, the United coach from 2014-16, questioned whether his old team would be suitable for compatriot Ten Haag.
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Van Gaal, who is now the coach of the Dutch national team, aptly said Ten Hag “should choose a football club and not a commercial club” if he leaves Amsterdam this summer. The remarks were rejected on Friday by United’s caretaker manager Ralph Rangnick, who questioned why Van Haal took over at Old Trafford if he felt the team was too commercialized. Rangnik said: “I think football in the world, and even more so in the English Premier League, when any rich person or company can buy a club, as long as it passes the fitness test, is a commercialized business. “This is for sure, regardless of the club in which city. What I can only tell you from the last four months is that this is a club with a long tradition with a close relationship with the fans and with the whole city, the region and the area. . “I do not see anything negative in it and if it was aimed at something else within the club, I can not say anything about it. “Louis himself, as an experienced coach, signed a contract here about five or six years ago and he could have known in advance if he had that opinion.” Ten Haag is not the only name reportedly in the United circle with Mauricio Pochettino and Luis Enrique among other candidates being linked. Guardiola, however, has no doubt about the credentials of Ten Hague who has seen him up close. The 52-year-old, who led Ajax to the 2019 Champions League semi-finals and is chasing his third Eredivisie title this season, was previously a reserve coach at Bayern while Guardiola led the first team. Guardiola said: “We talked quite regularly and he is just an incredible man and man. I was amazed at how humble he was. “For his qualities, just take a look at his side at Ajax in recent years. It’s a pleasure to watch so many games, not just the year they reached the Champions League semi-finals – but with a few details that would have made it to the final. . “The relationship we had was good, especially when we talked about football and the second team and with players it was great.” Ten Haag told Sport 1 in Germany that he “did not rule out anything” about his future. When asked to confirm whether there had been discussions with United, he said: “There are always discussions with representatives of other clubs, this is normal.” The process of United for the appointment of the permanent successor of Ole Gunnar Solskier has not yet involved Rangnik, who took the position until the summer, when he will take on the role of advisor. Rangnick said: “I know they have talked to some people, but so far we have not talked about the experience and the impressions they have from these meetings. “It’s not an issue for me. It’s important for me to focus on the next games.” Additional report from PA
