Erik ten Hag responds to fresh Man United links with honest message

The Ajax boss has been touted as a potential candidate to take over at Old Trafford for next season.

Ajax manager Erik ten Hag has said he has ‘no thoughts on the future’ in response to reports linking him with Manchester United.

Football director John Murtough announced on Tuesday that United have begun a ‘thorough process’ to identify their next permanent manager, over three months after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal.

Joining Ten Hag on the list of reported candidates are Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique, and Carlo Ancelotti.

Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino remain the top candidates to become Manchester United’s next manager, despite reports of interest in Carlo Ancelotti earlier this week. [@GraemeBailey] #MUFC

— MUFC Scoop (@MUFCScoop) March 3, 2022

‘I have no further thoughts on the future’

Speaking briefly of these reports this week, however, Ten Hag refused to give too much away on the speculation.

“At the moment, I am only working with Ajax and have no further thoughts on the future,” said the Dutchman, as quoted by Trouw.

“The focus is on this season. Right now I shouldn’t be the theme. The theme is: how are we going to win games?”

What next for Manchester United?

Regardless of when a new manager is announced, Ralf Rangnick will continue in his role as interim boss until the end of the season.

The German is currently preparing for his first Manchester derby on Sunday at the Etihad. Given their 19-point gap in the Premier League table, on top of being the away side, United are the underdogs. A Reds win is priced at 7.50 at the time of writing.