Ex-Ten Hag assistant Mitchell van der Gaag debunks Man United myth | OneFootball

Erik ten Hag’s former assistant at Manchester United, Mitchell van der Gaag, has rubbished a widespread misconception about the club.

Van der Gaag’s time at United

Van der Gaag left United in July 2024 as part of INEOS’ shake-up of Ten Hag’s backroom staff.

He served as Ten Hag’s right-hand man during his two years in charge of United, having made the switch from Ajax in 2022.

Following an extremely poor 2022/2023 Premier League season, INEOS sanctioned a radical overhaul of Ten Hag’s backroom staff, and Van der Gaag was axed, with Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake coming in as replacements.

After exiting Old Trafford, Van der Gaag was named boss of FC Zurich but he only lasted five months before he was sacked in October last year.

The 54-year-old spoke to The Busby Babe and was asked about a widely held United perception – that the club is a graveyard for talent.

He dismissed this myth while also giving his thoughts on Ruben Amorim’s ill-fated tenure.

Van der Gaag speaks

Asked about United wasting talented players, the Dutchman answered, “I think it’s not that none of the players will perform at United: sometimes you need a little bit more time, as we’ve seen with Ryan Gravenberch at Liverpool. There are young players coming up like Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho, and Amad Diallo, some who are ready right away, and some need more time.”

“But young players need experienced players around them to help them out and carry the team. As a young player, sometimes you need a bit more time to adapt, and sometimes if you go somewhere else, you can show what you’re worth. It’s a kind of pride as well: they’re not bad players.”

“The scrutiny is there at such a big club; there’s always pressure to perform, and then how are players and coaches going to cope with it, especially when there are no results? It can become tricky because if you don’t get the results, then it’s very difficult for certain players or for the entire team to perform.”

He continued, “With regards to Erik ten Hag and Rúben Amorim, Ajax and Sporting are big clubs, but they’re not internationally big clubs where every word is scrutinised, where everyone is wondering, ‘How are you going to deal with this pressure, how are you going to perform with all this scrutiny at such a massive club?'”

On Amorim’s spell, Van der Gaag opined that the Portuguese coach may have struggled with the adaptation to Premier League football.

He explained that Amorim’s job was not helped by the fact that he joined the club in the middle of the season, and that his inability to secure a sustained run of positive results and build momentum ultimately cost him dearly.

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