Man Utd should appreciate Ten Hag more - Schreuder's Ajax sacking shows that

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 6 Feb 2023 20:19 GMT
• 4 min read

After Ajax drew 1-1 against Volendam in the Eredivisie, Alfred Schreuder received his marching orders as the head coach of the Amsterdam club.

Ajax had gone seven league games without a win – their worst run since 1965 – and after a dismal run of form before the World Cup, Schreuder had to go.

The Dutch champions’ first season without Erik ten Hag at the helm has gone far from planned and they are in a period of transition that is proving to be bumpy.

READ: Ten Hag performs U-turn on wantaway Man Utd star

While Ajax have problems at a level above the head coach as well, this phase goes to show how important Ten Hag was to the club – and that Manchester United should appreciate him more.

Man Utd struck gold with Ten Hag

In terms of on-pitch success, under Ten Hag, Ajax won three league titles, two KNVB Cups and reached the knockout rounds of the Champions League twice – including the famous semi-final run of 2019.

He also helped develop a host of talent, both from within the club’s academy to those that came in from afar including Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Donny van de Beek, Antony, Lisandro Martinez and others.

READ: Man Utd: Erik ten Hag planning summer swoop for Harry Kane

Beyond that, he bought a sense of calm to the side and a feeling of discipline throughout the squad across his four-and-a-half year spell at the club.

When matters got out of hand, he took responsibility – the likes of talented players like Noa Lang misbehaved, but he ensured he was on top of the problem to ensure harmony in the squad.

Whereas Schreuder lost control of some iconic Ajax figures, like Daley Blind, who he had poor relations with which led to his inharmonious departure from his boyhood club, Ten Hag brought tranquility.

From a tactical perspective, Ten Hag was far more flexible too: take Dusan Tadic for example, who became one of the most efficient attacking players in Europe under the coach, starring as a left winger or down the middle.

Under Schreuder, Tadic was deployed on the right-wing, somewhere he struggled in the past and that has shown this season with his poor form.

With youngsters, Ten Hag ensured a smooth progression and adaptability of talent – players like Jurrien Timber and Kenneth Taylor quickly found their feet in the Ajax first-team under him.

That wasn’t the case under Schreuder, as it seemed as though the development was halted and those same players had little idea of what they were meant to do.

It could be argued that Schreuder was played an unfortunate hand: he didn’t have an experienced Technical Director to work with like Ten Hag, and the squad turnover in the summer was quite high as they sold star players.

However, after a summer where they had the biggest spend of any club in Eredivisie history – with over a €100 million outlay – to be where they are currently is unacceptable.

Replacing Ten Hag at Ajax was going to be a challenge for any manager, but maybe this should show his quality and perhaps suggest that Manchester United should appreciate him more.