Ajax boss Erik ten Hag is on the brink of being confirmed as Manchester United’s new manager.
United say no deal has been done but sources in the Netherlands suggest an agreement in principle is in place.
The Dutchman, 52, will replace Ralf Rangnick, who was appointed interim manager in November following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal.
Paris St-Germain’s former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino had been the other leading candidate.
Official confirmation of Ten Hag’s appointment is not expected before Ajax’s Dutch Cup final against PSV Eindhoven on Sunday.
Ajax lead the Eredivisie by four points from PSV as they aim to win their third Dutch league title under Ten Hag.
They lost to Portuguese side Benfica in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Ten Hag appointment will bring sense of certainty
United will be relieved when Ten Hag’s appointment is made official, on what is expected to be a three-year contract with the option of an additional year. It will bring a sense of certainty to a club whose season is slipping away alarmingly as Rangnick wrestles with a mounting number of problems.
Amid numerous suggestions of splits in the dressing room, United now seem unlikely to secure a place in next season’s Champions League after a run of one win in seven games in all competitions, their worst sequence of results since 2019.
With many big-name players either out of contract, such as Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, or facing uncertain futures, like Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford, it promises to be a summer of upheaval at Old Trafford.
It has been felt Ten Hag’s management style is more suited to the structures put in place at United, which include John Murtough as football director.
Ten Hag will become the fifth permanent manager at Old Trafford since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.