Steve McClaren is set to return to Manchester United after Erik ten Hag made clear his desire to add the former England manager to his coaching staff.
Ten Hag was announced as United’s next permanent manager on Thursday and will move to the Premier League from Ajax in the summer, with the Dutchman having told his new side that he wants both McClaren and Ajax assistant Mitchell van der Gaag as part of his coaching team.
The Telegraph are reporting that the Red Devils initially showed reluctance to accept Ten Hag’s request and wanted the incoming boss to assess the current coaches at the club, though McClaren now appears set for an Old Trafford return.
The 60-year-old previously spent working as an assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at United, forming part of the club’s backroom team during the 1998/99 treble-winning season.
He departed to take a senior role at Middlesbrough in 2001 and led the North East side to the UEFA Cup final, before an ill-fated reign as England boss.
McClaren has since had spells at clubs including FC Twente, Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, Derby and QPR.
Ten Hag worked as an assistant to McClaren during his first season in charge of FC Twente, who he later led to the Dutch title for the first time in their history in 2009/10.
McLaren recently spoke in glowing terms about the level of detail that Ten Hag puts into his work.
