Erik ten Hag's former assistant reveals what 'disappointed' him about his two years at Man United

Erik ten Hag's former assistant manager - Mitchell van der Gaag - has opened up about his time at Manchester United.

Van der Gaag served under Ten Hag after following him from Ajax to Old Trafford in 2022, helping the Red Devils win the EFL Cup and the FA Cup in his two seasons at the club.

After a shake-up of United’s coaching team in the summer of 2024 - which saw Ruud van Nistelrooy replace him as assisant - Van der Gaag left the club in July that year to pursue a managerial role elsewhere.

The 53-year-old was unveiled as FC Zurich’s new head coach this May, signing a two-year deal with the Swiss side.

Van der Gaag described his tenure at United as a 'wonderful' period, but admitted there was one major disappointment that stuck with him from the two-year spell.

'I look back on my time at Manchester United positively,' he told Givemesport. 'I think it was two wonderful years. They were very positive and I learned a lot.

'The first year was very positive because we finished in third place, won the Carabao Cup and went to the FA Cup final.

'I think the only disappointment, in my opinion, was that we could have been better in the Europa League. But I think the first year was very positive, so everyone expected that we could improve in the second season.'

United bowed out of the Europa League in 2023-24 after a humiliating 5-2 aggregate defeat by Sevilla in the quarter-finals.

After taking a 2-0 lead in the first leg at Old Trafford, United collapsed late on, conceding twice in the final ten minutes to leave the tie level at 2-2. But the second leg in Spain proved a disaster, with Ten Hag’s side slumping to a 3-0 defeat.

In his debut season, Ten Hag brought renewed optimism to Old Trafford. United finished third in the Premier League, clinched the Carabao Cup and reached the FA Cup final.

But despite the silverware, his second year presented a host of challenges. United struggled to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League and exited the Champions League at the group stage.

In the end, United salvaged their campaign with a dramatic win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley - a triumph that, Van der Gaag said, helped put a more positive spin on a turbulent year.

He added: 'That was a very strange season [2023-24]. We were not good enough in the Premier League or Champions League. There were very strange results as well because there were games we were winning comfortably and then drawing or losing.

'But, in the end, we won the FA Cup. It puts everything in a positive way, so that was important.

'They were two years when I learned a lot, especially about the way the Premier League functions, the way football is played and the tactical variations. It was something that I really enjoyed.' 

Ten Hag was dismissed last October with Man United lying 14th in the Premier League after winning just four of their opening 14 matches.

His departure came despite the club triggering a one-year contract extension last summer.

The Dutchman had previously served as coach of Bayern Munich's second team between 2015 and 2017.

Ten Hag then enjoyed an impressive spell at Utrecht, before leading Ajax to three consecutive Dutch titles and the 2019 Champions League semi-finals.

At United, Ten Hag won 70 of his 128 games in charge - a 54.69 per cent win rate - the third-highest win rate of any manager to oversee 100 or more games in the club's history.

The 55-year-old now manages Bayer Leverkusen, having succeeded Xabi Alonso in May.