Ajax fear Manchester United swooping for Erik ten Hag in the summer, reports say.
There Red Devils are set to give Ralf Rangnick their position as manager until the end of the campaign following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But the club are still eyeing a different boss to take charge at the end of the campaign.
Manchester United sacked Solskjaer last weekend, opting to relieve the Norwegian of his duties following a 4-1 defeat away at Watford.
Rangnick will now take charge on an interim basis, with the 63-year-old poised to leave Lokomotiv Moscow for Old Trafford.
Yet while United are eyeing Mauricio Pochettino, the Daily Mail state the Red Devils have ‘registered an interest’ in Ten Hag, too.
The 51-year-old has done well at Ajax over the past four years, helping to rebuild the Amsterdam outfit after a host of big-name departures.
Matthijs de Ligt, Donny van de Beek and Frenkie de Jong have all left but the Dutch giants remain competitive, sitting top of the Eredivisie table and making good progress in the Champions League.
United are admirers and, should they miss out on Pochettino, are eyeing a move for Ten Hag instead.
And Ajax, it’s claimed, fear their manager departing at the end of the campaign.
They’re also worried Ten Hag’s staff, Mitchell van der Gaag and Michael Reiziger, would follow the boss to the Premier League.
Yet Ajax won’t stand in Ten Hag’s way should United make a move for him at the end of the season.
The 51-year-old was wanted by Tottenham back in the summer but, in the end, opted to remain in the Netherlands instead.
However, United are a different proposition and there’s every chance they’ll be able to get him in the door once the current season is done and dusted.
Ajax chief Edwin van der Sar, who spent five years at United as a player, will ‘likely play a key role in any move for Ten Hag’.
But he’s not the only manager who will be considered when it comes to being Solskjaer’s permanent replacement.
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers will also be thought of as the Glazers plan for a brighter future.
Rodgers has stressed he’s happy at the King Power Stadium, where he’s won the Community Shield and FA Cup over the past year.
But United could come calling if Pochettino and Ten Hag don’t indicated a willingness to come.
And, with Rangnick set to take charge for the foreseeable future, it’ll be interesting to see how things play out.
Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, recently opened up on both Pochettino and Ten Hag.
“I’ve heard people say if Pochettino struggles with this team – with, on paper, better players – how will he do it at Man United?” he said on BT Sport.
“To counter that you look at Thomas Tuchel – he couldn’t do it with this PSG team, so it’s unfair to judge Pochettino on his time at PSG.
“Out of all them, I think Pochettino is the most likely [to be appointed].”
Ferdinand added: “What you’ve been crying out for United is DNA and that’s no question with his [Ten Hag’s] team in Ajax.
“Yes everyone expects him to win the league, but you still have to do and create a way of playing that suits your players.