Louis van Gaal would propose Ajax move for Manchester United assistant Mitchell van der Gaag should the Dutch club part ways with manager Maurice Steijn.
Van Gaal, who managed United from 2014 to 2016, is back at Ajax working as an advisor, and admires Van der Gaag, who was No 2 to Erik ten Hag in Amsterdam before moving to Old Trafford.
Ajax, though, are aware Van der Gaag is a crucial figure in Ten Hag’s team at United and it may be a struggle to extract him from the club.
Ajax have won just once in the league and lie 16th, in the Eredivisie relegation play-off place. But they may yet stick with Steijn as their head coach and look to rebuild next summer.
Ajax have also agreed a deal for AZ’s Alex Kroes to join as their new general manager and chairman of the board next March, but are pushing to get him to start earlier.
Van der Gaag previously coached the Ajax youth side before moving up to work with the first team under Ten Hag. The pair moved to Old Trafford together ahead of the 2022-23 season and are each under contract until 2025.
Van Gaal, meanwhile, returned to Ajax, last week in an advisory role following the sacking of sporting director Sven Mislintat last month. The 72-year-old coached Ajax from 1991 to 1997 before leaving for Barcelona.
Steijn took over at Ajax after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign but his team have continued to struggle at the start of this season. They have not won a match since August 31.
(Photo: Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
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