Incoming manager Erik ten Hag has described his time at as a ‘great journey’ after his side won the Eredivisie title.
Ajax thrashed Heerenveen 5-0 on Wednesday night to secure the title ahead of PSV, with United transfer target Sebastien Haller among the goal scorers.
It was Ten Hag’s last game at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, with Sunday’s away match at Vitesse set to be his final for the club, and as such emotions were high and celebrations were wild.
Speaking on the pitch after the final whistle, the Dutchman said: ‘It was a great journey for me here. A beautiful era.
‘The results that we got, and the beautiful football that we played.
‘We brought a certain culture in this club. A winner’s mentality.’
When asked if he would celebrate with a small wine or even a whole bottle, Ten Hag laughed and replied: ‘Yes, tonight we will party!
‘We will see how far we get!’
This is Ten Hag’s third Eredivisie triumph since becoming Ajax boss in December 2017, and he has also won two KNVB Cups in that time.
He rose to prominence during the 2018/19 season after guiding the Amsterdam club to the semi-finals of the Champions League, knocking out Real Madrid and Juventus along the way, before being pipped to the final at the last minute by Tottenham.
The 52-year-old has signed a three-year deal with United, with an option for a fourth, and is the latest man tasked with bringing the glory days back to Old Trafford that have been sorely missed since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and current interim boss Ralf Rangnick, have all tried and failed, but it is hoped that Ten Hag can install the ‘winner’s mentality’ back into the Red Devils.
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