Ten Hag rivals Liverpool coach for eye-catching next managerial job after Man Utd as new director compiles list

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has made it onto the shortlist to become the next manager of his former club Ajax – but Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders has become a rival candidate and may be the more realistic option.

TEAMtalk exclusively revealed recently that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is likely to oversee a managerial change at Manchester United in the summer, which will mean Ten Hag has to look for a new job if he wants to prove himself on a touchline next season.

Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup in his first season, but has struggled to take Man Utd to the next level this time around and is under pressure for his long-term status.

According to the Daily Mirror, his next job after Man Utd, should he be relieved of his duties as expected, could be a familiar one.

The report claims he is on Ajax’s shortlist for after John van ’t Schip’s interim spell, which will mark the end of a turbulent season for the Amsterdam club.

Ten Hag was in charge of Ajax directly before his spell with Man Utd, managing the Dutch giants from 2017 to 2022. In that time, they won three Eredivisie titles and three other domestic trophies.

He has always kept Ajax in his mind when constructing his Man Utd squad, reuniting with players like Antony, Lisandro Martinez and Andre Onana at Old Trafford.

And it seems Ajax are keeping him in mind too, with their recently appointed technical director Alex Kroes – who until recently was a shareholder in the agency that looks after the current Man Utd manager – adding Ten Hag to their shortlist of coaching targets.

Their approach would be solely dependent on Man Utd dismissing Ten Hag first, since they are not willing to pay compensation for the 54-year-old.

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Ajax linked with Liverpool mastermind as well

They would not have to pay any compensation to appoint Lijnders instead, meanwhile, since he will be leaving Liverpool at the same time as Jurgen Klopp in the summer.

Lijnders’ only previous spell as a manager in his own right was also in his native Netherlands, but NEC did not keep him long.

Now, though, Lijnders is ready for another attempt at being a head coach. Klopp recently backed him, saying: “Pep especially is ready – ready to manage a football team and he wants to do that as well, so that’s great.

“The most influential guy in the last years definitely in this club was Pep Lijnders. The job he did is absolutely exceptional. The inspiration he is for me is absolutely exceptional.

“The relationship we grew is absolutely exceptional. Outstanding, everything. And I’m really looking forward to follow his way and to support if necessary. And if I can, I will definitely do.”

Ruled out of the running to replace Klopp at Liverpool, the 41-year-old could end up back in the Eredivisie with Ajax.

In the process, Lijnders would reunite with former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who joined Ajax in the winter after a short stay in Saudi Arabia with Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq.

Rumours of Lijnders taking the upcoming Ajax vacancy have been going on since last month and don’t seem to be going away, but Kroes’ knowledge of the Ten Hag situation is also well worth keeping an eye on.

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