Steve McClaren will be appointed as an assistant coach by Manchester United in the coming weeks, the Telegraph’s Sam Wallace reports. The club are also looking to add Ajax assistant Mitchell van der Gaag to the Erik ten Hag staff department ahead of a new era.
Initially, Ten Hag’s request that McClaren, who was his former boss at FC Twente in the Netherlands when the Dutch coach was his assistant, be appointed as part of his staff was reportedly met with some resistance from his new club.
However, in a further update, it is now reported that the club will go ahead and reappoint McClaren, who had previously assisted Sir Alex Ferguson most famously during the 1998/99 treble-winning campaign.
Steve McClaren to Be Part of Erik ten Hag Staff as Assistant Coach
Return to Old Trafford
The former England manager is set to return to Manchester United due to his knowledge of the club and close relationship with new manager Erik ten Hag. Ten Hag is seeking McClaren’s appointment as he wants someone who knows the club and English football to aid his backroom staff as he embarks on a new journey in his career.
This is Ten Hag’s first major job outside of the Netherlands and he is determined to succeed.
He told manutd.com, who announced his appointment earlier on Thursday, April 21: “It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead. I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.”
The news will be of great relief to Manchester United supporters, who saw their team picked apart once again by their biggest rivals, Liverpool, on Tuesday night.
McClaren’s History
After leaving his position at Manchester United in 2001, Steve McClaren embarked on a career as a manager, spending five years at Middlesbrough. With Boro, he lifted the League Cup in 2004 and reached the-then UEFA Cup final in 2006.
Following his stint as England manager, he then had spells in the Netherlands and Germany before returning to England and leading the likes of Nottingham Forest, Derby County (twice) and Newcastle United.
Most recently the 60-year-old has been working with FIFA on a project led by former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, evaluating development pathways in all 208 FIFA nations.
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