ERIK TEN HAG has been warned he is “playing with fire” by appointing two Dutch colleagues as his new assistant coaches.
The Manchester United manager received a huge show of faith from Sir Jim Ratcliffe after signing a new two-year contract.
Ten Hag is now ready to be backed in the transfer market after leading United to two trophies in as many years, with Dutch internationals Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee approaching changes at Old Trafford.
But Ten Hag also trusts his compatriots when it comes to matters off the field.
The former Ajax gaffer is expected to appoint not one, but two new assistants.
And like him and the two United transfers, they also come from the land of clogs and tulips.
Red Devils icon Ruud van Nistelrooy will make a stunning return to the Theater of Dreams, almost 20 years after leaving the club as a player with 150 goals and a Premier League title.
Rene Hake also turned his back on his managerial career to take up the No. 2 role under Lt Hag.
And United’s coaching staff will have a very ‘orange’ feel as the manager surrounds himself with compatriots.
However, Dutch footballer-turned-journalist Johannes Derksen told Ten Hag he is taking a big risk by hiring so many assistants from his own country.
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Derksen reckons the presence of more Dutch figures only increases the pressure on Ten Hag to succeed.
Nor does it mean there will be an automatic link with De Ligt or Zirkzee, with Derksen pointing to clashes between former manager Louis van Gaal and his star signing Memphis Depay.
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He told Vandaag Inside Oranje, via Voetbal: “He (Ten Hag) is playing with fire.
“They already did that at Barcelona, you only survive if you are champion and win the European Cup.
“Van Gaal was fired at the time by Memphis. He fought hard for his arrival.
“He was supposed to be the biggest talent at the time. Memphis didn’t play a single good game there. Then you immediately lose your status.
“I understand everything. The English team apparently doesn’t attract him, so he wants all the Dutch.
“Hake doesn’t make you a champion. (Van Nistelrooy) is really a star there. He will be the first assistant, he must have forced it.”
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