Marcel van der Kraan has heaped praise on Erik ten Hag for his success in his short time at Manchester United.
The Dutch journalist also believes that there will be many people in the Netherlands proud of the work that the former Ajax boss has done since moving to Old Trafford.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Van der Kraan waxed lyrical about Ten Hag.
“Everyone in Holland is very proud that it took him so much quicker than it took Louis van Gaal,” he said. “Because Van Gaal was the one who said, ‘I have one bit of advice Erik: if you have to make a choice for your next club after Ajax, don’t go to United. It’s a commercial club. It’s not what’s ready for you, better to go to Germany.’
“Well I think there’s a lot of Man United fans but also a lot of proud Dutch fans or they’re Ajax fans who see that Erik has done so well. This is very much the Ten Hag we know because he’s firm, he’s solid, he’s also very authentic.
“He doesn’t go into football to get famous. He went into football as a manager to be really successful. He believes in the methods he uses like Pep Guardiola, like Johan Cruyff did, like Ronald Koeman – it’s all about attacking football. It’s unbelievable that he’s achieved this.”
Van der Kraan also pointed to the current situation at Ajax as further proof of Ten Hag’s credentials, saying, “I think there’s a lot of Ajax fans who would be praying that he would be back here because everything after he left Ajax has imploded.
“There’s chaos at the club in a sporting way they’re trailing again, they’re not in charge of the Dutch Eredivisie so it also shines a light on what a job he did while he was here. But I think sometimes only when something is gone and you’ve lost it, you realise how precious it was.”
Even before the Red Devils’ victory in the Carabao Cup, United supporters across the board were elated with the progress the team had made under Ten Hag.
After beating Newcastle United in final, there is a sense of optimism around the club that has not existed since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson.
The fact that the team are not only winning, but winning well and with a clear structure has lifted spirits and convinced many that United are finally on their way back.