Erik ten Hag's glowing verdict on Dutch manager who Man Utd are close to hiring
Manchester United are set to add Dutch coach Rene Hake to Erik ten Hag's backroom staff.
Hake, currently in charge of Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles, will join his compatriot as Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks to reinvigorate Ten Hag's coaching team. As well as Hake, United are hoping to appoint their former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy to work with the club's forwards and improve their prowess in front of goal.
Hake, 52, has followed a similar path to Ten Hag, with both men having managed Go Ahead Eagles and Utrecht. Sources close to Hake say a contract with United is close to being agreed.
The appointment of Hake raises questions over the futures of Ten Hag's current assistants, Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren, both of whom have long-standing working relationships with the United boss.
Ten Hag is currently in talks with United over a new deal, with his existing contract entering its final year. United hope a new deal can be agreed before the squad return for pre-season on July 8, as they aim to improve on their damning eighth-place finish in the Premier League last season.
Hake worked in Twente's youth academy when Ten Hag was also beginning his coaching career at the club and they've remained good friends ever since. "After our common period at Twente, we have always kept in touch," the United manager revealed to Voetbal International in 2023.
"We meet up and call each other. You talk about private matters, how things are going at home and with the children. But usually it is about football. (At Twente) he was incredibly driven, ambitious, but also extremely convinced of himself. A trainer who worked very methodically."
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(L-R) coach Erik ten Hag of FC Utrecht, coach Rene Hake of FC Twente during the Dutch Eredivisie match between FC Twente Enschede and FC Utrecht at the Grolsch Veste on September 17, 2017 in Enschede, The Netherlands (Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Hake led Go Ahead Eagles to ninth place in the Eredivisie last season, their best finish for more than 15 years. As they're due to face Norwegian side Brann in second round of the UEFA Conference League play-offs in August, Hake would be missing out on the chance to lead Go Ahead Eagles into Europe for only the second time since their 1984 Intertoto Cup appearance.
The 52-year-old was even tipped to succeed newly-appointed Liverpool manager Arne Slot at Feyenoord, with his successor yet to be announced. "He always puts his teams in a good position," former Twente striker Youri Mulder declared on the AD Voetbalpodcast. "I already thought that at Twente."
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