Mitchell van der Haag is ready at Manchester United as an assistant to new manager Eric ten Haag, but Ajax’s number two will be a relatively unknown name for most fans.
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Eric ten Haag in his profile as Man United “open talks” with the head of Ajax
Mitchell van der Haag will be the assistant to the new head of Manchester United Eric ten Haag at Old Trafford, and the coach will play a key role in the summer turmoil at Old Trafford.
Van der Haag began working as a coach after an 18-year career in the Netherlands, Scotland, Portugal and Saudi Arabia. He is a former Dutch international under the age of 21 who began his coaching career on the Maritimo reserve team, just a few miles from the home of Cristiano Ronaldo on the island of Madeira.
After being promoted to Maritimo’s first team, he moved to Belenenses. Van der Haag resumed his career after fearing for his health and had a brief stint in Cyprus with Hermis before returning to the Netherlands with FC Eindhoven, Excelsior Rotterdam and NAC Breda. He became close to Ten Haag when he was appointed coach of Yong Ajax, the youth team of the Amsterdam club.
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He helped form a great behind-the-scenes team with former Dutch nationals Michael Reitziger and Winston Bogarde. Ajax tried to persuade Van der Haag to reject United’s offer, but his relationship with Ten Hague won the dispute. Van der Haag speaks five languages - Dutch, English, Spanish, Portuguese and French – and was an outstanding young central defender who seemed destined to play at the highest level when he invaded PSV Eindhoven until he suffered a serious injury, which set him aside for more than two years.
He also plays with Sparta Rotterdam, Scottish club Motherwell, FC Utrecht and Maritimo. Van der Haag’s father, Wim, was a well-known sports radio commentator in the Netherlands. His wife, Isabel, is the daughter of Ian Gisbers, the cycling coach who helped Pedro Delgado and Greg Lemond win the Tour de France. The couple has four children and the family’s main home is still in Portugal, as sons Jordan and Luca have signed a contract with the Benfica Youth Academy.
Van der Haag has built a reputation for developing young players at Ajax – a quality that will resonate with United. Ten Hag is a tracksuit manager who manages each workout. But Van der Haag offers him a second pair of eyes and he has exceptional management skills. He usually watches matches from above in the stands to get a better idea of the match, but stays in touch with the Ajax bench.
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Ajax coach Eric ten Haag and Mitchell van der Haag when he led Excelsior Rotterdam before a match of the Dutch Eredivisie in May 2018 (
Image:
Getty Images)
Van der Haag outlined his philosophy in an interview in the Netherlands before returning to his homeland. He warned that there was no hiding place for players under his supervision. Van der Haag said: “I have had discussions with the whole team before, but as a field coach I am moving away from that more and more. Players increasingly prefer one-on-one conversations. It takes a lot more time and energy, but I have a feeling that this way I can reach my players better.
“I sit with players every week and watch him play with the staff. As a result, I can demand a lot more and you also get more sense of responsibility from the player. They can hide in a group. These are not just conversations about good weather. If I’m not happy, I’ll say it. Then everyone will know where he is.
“I am talking to everyone. If I don’t do it and suddenly we have to call a replacement, I don’t want to pay attention to this player for the first time. You don’t want a player to think, “Oh, he suddenly has time for me, now I’m suddenly important.” Of course I’m pretty calm, but I’m not running away from conflict. “
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