Erik ten Hag's first ever Ajax game shows that Man Utd have major problem on their hands

Erik ten Hag's first ever starting XI as manager of Ajax should serve as a warning to Manchester United.

The Red Devils' dismal start to the season was compounded by their 3-0 home defeat to bitter rivals Manchester City on the weekend, as the pressure builds on the United boss.

Meanwhile, their European form hasn't been any better, having lost two of their opening three Champions League group stage games against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.

As a result, Ten Hag's future has been cast into doubt, with the likes of Zinedine Zidane among the candidates to replace him at Old Trafford.

However, should the club have seen it coming? We've done some digging into Ajax's starting XI when Ten Hag first took the manager's job and it certainly makes for an interesting read.

Ten Hag's first ever game in charge of the Amsterdam club came in a 2-0 win over Feyenoord in 2017. At the time, Ajax boasted a wealth of talent including Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Hakim Ziyech, Donny van de Beek and Andre Onana, who has since signed for United.

Every single member of the starting XI that day have since moved on to pastures new, earning the Dutch club a whopping £290 million in player sales.

When considering that figure, one could argue whether Ajax's subsequent success was in fact down to Ten Hag's management, or whether he simply got lucky inheriting such a talented squad.

The following season, Ajax reached the Champions League semi-final, while Ten Hag delivered three consecutive titles in 2018/19, 2020/21 and 2021/22 before joining United.

It remains to be seen whether the Dutchman can replicate such success in the Premier League, but it's not like he's been short of resources.

United have spent over £384 million since Ten Hag's arrival, and barring last season's Carabao Cup trophy, they look no closer to returning to the glory days of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Only time will tell whether Ten Hag's management style will prevail at Old Trafford, or whether Ajax's brilliant 2017 squad was the real reason for his impressive CV. Either way, time is running out for the 53-year-old to prove the doubters wrong.

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Topics: Manchester United, Ajax, Erik Ten Hag, Football, Frenkie De Jong, Andre Onana, Matthijs De Ligt

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno