Former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt believes Man United must sort out their behind-the-scenes problems if they want new manager Erik Ten Hag to succeed.
Ten Hag was formally announced as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s permanent successor on Thursday afternoon, ending months of speculation.
The soon-to-be United boss always appeared to be the overwhelming favourite – even ahead of Mauricio Pochettino – despite having only managed Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich II, FC Utrecht and Ajax during his 10-year senior managerial career so far.
As a native of the Netherlands, Ten Hag is someone Kuyt has been able to keep a close eye on – particularly during his first stint in the Eredivisie with Utrecht and more recently with Ajax, where he has won two league titles.
Speaking to This is Anfield just hours after his appointment, the former Anfield fan favourite, who scored 71 goals during his six years on Merseyside, insisted his fellow countryman will have his hands full when he takes over the reins in July.
“I think [Ten Hag] is probably one of the best coaches around now,” said Kuyt.
“So it is pretty interesting to see how he will do now at Manchester United.
“Peter Schmeichel said it well last week in the media, there are bigger problems at Manchester United than only changing the manager.
“So hopefully for Erik Ten Hag, the structure of the club gets better so he can perform. For me, it’s OK if he performs as long as Liverpool do better!
“Ten Hag is a really good coach, and he has some experience now. He has built up his career at Bayern Munich. He went to a bigger club in Holland, FC Utrecht.
“And [he] also managed Ajax – where he did really well, not just in the league but also in the Champions League.”
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