Erik ten Hag says that if he had not been granted “control” over transfers at Manchester United he would not have taken the job.
The Dutchman will take over at Old Trafford in the summer and says negotiations with the club were only concluded once he was given more input into player recruitment, although he insists he does not want to be “sole ruler”.
“I set requirements in advance about how I want to work,” he told Dutch outlet Trouw.
“If they aren’t granted, I won’t do it. I am ultimately responsible and accounted for the results. I don’t want to be the sole ruler, I stand for cooperation, but control in transfers is a condition for me.”
Interim manager Ralf Rangnick said on Friday that he thinks Ten Hag is the “best possible” coach for United right now, but added that he’ll have his work cut out for him on a team that requires a major overhaul.
“I’m pretty convinced he’s the best possible coach you could get right now,” Rangnick told a news conference on Friday. “In football you’re not always on the bright side, right now we’re on the other side. The good thing is that it’s crystal clear it’s not that difficult, you don’t even need glasses to see and analyse where the problems are.
“Now it’s only about how do we solve them? For me it’s not enough to do some minor amendments, some little issues here and there and little cosmetic things.
“In medicine you would say that this is an operation of the open heart. There are more things to be changed than some little things here and some minor things there.”
Rangnick will step down as manager at the end of the current campaign and has an agreement with the club to begin a two-year consultancy role from the summer.
Details about what that might look like have been kept largely under wraps by the club and, although the 63-year-old German says he’s keen to remain at Old Trafford in some capacity, he says it will be up to Ten Hag to decide what kind of support, if any, he needs.
“We have an agreement on the role but in the end it’s not a question about what’s written on paper or what’s agreed upon, it’s about what will happen in everyday life and everyday business,” added Rangnick.
“This is the question and it’s also important how does Erik ten Hag see that. Does he like to speak with someone like myself? Does he want to work together? These are the things we haven’t spoken about.
“For me it’s not a question of having agreed upon a contract. How much does Erik ten Hag and the board want my opinion and my experience, that’s what we haven’t spoken about.
“Of course I would want to be part of the process that has to happen. But again, right now I don’t know how this can happen.”
Aside from reshaping the squad, Ten Hag will also be tasked with getting a grip of the current crop of players.
The 52-year-old will inherit a group which includes the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford but insists every player will have to follow his instructions if they want to remain at the club
“I will not change my view on coaching,” Ten Hag added. “The material always determines how you play, but I indicate the requirements that come with it and the standards. I tell who has what task and who does not meet it, will be told that, regardless of who it is. I make no concessions in that regard.”
