Liverpool legend Ian Rush says Erik ten Hag should pay no heed to Louis van Gaal’s warning not to join Manchester United.
Earlier this week, United’s former manager van Gaal told Ten Hag to not take up the hotseat at Old Trafford, pointing out that the Manchester club is more interested in commercial success rather than on the field glory.
Rush, however, believes a strong commercial operation is the modern way in football and that shouldn’t stop ten Hag from joining United.
Speaking to , Rush said: ‘’s search for a new manager continues and I read Louis van Gaal’s comments urging his compatriot Erik ten Hag not to take the job as they’re a ‘commercial club’ rather than a ‘football club’.
‘I can see where van Gaal is coming from, but at the end of the day United are an enormous club and if they didn’t maximise their commercial interests they wouldn’t be able to stay on top of their wage structure or make the mega-money signings the fans expect.
‘To be honest, it’s no different at any of the other big clubs. Liverpool are the same, but if there’s one thing Liverpool do better it’s that they strike the right balance between being a commercial entity and a football club.
‘You need the commercial success if you’re to sustain results on the field. Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool seem to have it down to a tee. Klopp is well aware of Liverpool’s commercial appeal and the need to have that in modern football, but his job is to win matches and that feeds commercial success too.
‘If United are to get back up to the top table again they’ll have to learn how to strike that balance too.’
Van Gaal left United in 2016 after a largely disappointing two-year spell in charge. Rush thinks the bad taste left over from the Dutchman’s time in Manchester is where his recent comments originate from.
‘Maybe van Gaal has some regrets about his time in charge at Old Trafford and that might have fuelled his comments,’ said Rush. ‘He probably felt like he’s doing his fellow Dutchman a favour by warning ten Hag about their commercial interests, but I doubt the Ajax manager will take much notice.’
Ten Hag has been linked with United ever since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November, with it being reported that the 52-year-old has already undergone an interview for the top job at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag is currently the manager of Ajax, who are two points clear at the top of the Eridivisie.
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