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The ‘very strange’ Man Utd puzzle that Erik ten Hag faced is everything Ruben Amorim needs to avoid

Originally posted on HITC | By Adnan Riaz | Last updated Jul 25, 2025 2:58 PM ET

Mitchell van der Gaag has now spoken about one strange aspect of Erik ten Hag’s time at Manchester United.

Van der Gaag first linked up with Ten Hag at Ajax, before reuniting with him at Old Trafford in the assistant head coach role. He joined the Red Devils after Ten Hag made the move to Manchester United.

Steve McClaren also joined Ten Hag’s coaching staff, sharing assistant duties with Van der Gaag during their time together at the club.

The 55-year-old Dutchman stayed by Ten Hag’s side for two seasons before leaving just ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. His contract was terminated, and he went on to become manager of FC Zurich.

After Van der Gaag’s exit, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake were brought in to fill the assistant roles under Ten Hag.

Mitchell van der Gaag speaks about the ‘only disappointment’ from his time as Man Utd assistant manager under Erik ten Hag

Van der Gaag had a strong start at Manchester United, working alongside Ten Hag, who joined from Ajax in 2022. The team finished third in the Premier League and also won the League Cup that season.

United also reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League, where they were knocked out by Sevilla. Despite that setback, Van der Gaag remembers that first season fondly overall.

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“I look back on my time at Manchester United positively,” he said.

“I think it was two wonderful years. They were very positive and I learned a lot. The first year was very positive because we finished in third place, won the Carabao Cup and went to the FA Cup final.

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“I think the only disappointment, in my opinion, was that we could have been better in the Europa League.”

“But I think the first year was very positive, so everyone expected that we could improve in the second season.”

Mitchell van der Gaag still has no answer to the unusual period of Erik ten Hag’s reign as Man Utd manager

Erik ten Hag’s second season at Old Trafford was a mixed bag, with the Red Devils finishing eighth in the league table.

The Bayer Leverkusen boss avenged the Red Devils’ 2023 FA Cup final defeat by leading United to a 2-1 win over Manchester City at Wembley in 2024.

Van der Gaag admitted that it was “very strange” to see how United performed in the 2023-24 season and the results under Ten Hag showed that in the campaign.

“That was a very strange season [2023-24],” he said. “We were not good enough in the Premier League or Champions League. There were very strange results as well because there were games we were winning comfortably and then drawing or losing.”

He added: “But, in the end, we won the FA Cup. It puts everything in a positive way, so that was important.”

“They were two years when I learned a lot, especially about the way football is played and the tactical variations,” he said. “It was something that I really enjoyed.”

Ten Hag’s time as United manager ended last October after he was sacked, paving the way for Ruben Amorim’s arrival from Sporting CP.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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