EPL: Ten Hag’s assistant takes decision on returning to Ajax

Erik ten Hag’s assistant manager at Manchester United, Mitchell van der Gaag has assured the Premier League club that he is not interested in becoming the new coach of Ajax.

Ajax are looking for a new manager after Mauric Steijn was sacked on Monday.

‌Van der Gaag was identified by Louis van Gaal as the ideal candidate to replace Steijn.

Ajax has made inquiries to see if he had an escape clause in his United contract and how much the compensation package would be.

But they will not be pursuing Van der Gaag after the 51-year-old made clear his intention to stay loyal to Ten Hag.‌

Van der Gaag has become an important sounding board for Ten Hag after working as his assistant for two years at Ajax before following him to Manchester in the summer of 2022.