Erik ten Hag absence felt as Ajax suffer worst run in more than 20 years
Manchester United are flying high under the guidance of Erik ten Hag - but the Dutchman's departure has had a catastrophic impact on his former club, Ajax.
Ten Hag caught the attention of the Premier League giants during a trophy-laden four-year stint at Ajax, where he landed three Dutch titles and was only denied a fourth by the pandemic. That, coupled with the Dutchman's coaching ability, was enough to convince the Old Trafford hierarchy that Ten Hag was the man to rebuild Manchester United.
And while United are currently reaping the rewards of their bold appointment, Ajax have not fared quite so well since losing Ten Hag.
The Dutch giants appointed Ten Hag's former assistant Alfred Schreuder as their new head coach back in May shortly after it had been confirmed that he would be taking on the role at United.
However, continuity has not served Ajax well - and they are now in the midst of their worst run of domestic form in more than two decades. After drawing 1-1 against Feyenoord at the weekend, Ajax have now gone six games without a win in the Eredivisie: a run that precedes the World Cup and spans all the way back to the end of October.
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Schrueder, who won the Belgian title with Club Brugge last year, is now under intense pressure as Ajax fight to salvage their season: Sunday's stalemate with Feyenoord, who are two points clear at the top of the Eredivisie, saw Schreuder's side slump down to fifth in the domestic standings.
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Ten Hag's replacement, Alfred Schreuder, has struggled at Ajax and is under pressure (Maurice Van Stone/ANP)Ajax, who will face Union Berlin in the Europa League next month after failing to progress past the Champions League group phase, also face an uphill battle to qualify for Europe's premier competition next season unless their form picks up in the coming months.
Schreuder hit back at critics in an explosive press conference back in October and insisted that he could not "build a completely new team in three months" following a string of high-profile summer exits, but his popularity with fans took another hit following the exit of Daley Blind.
The versatile defender was adored by fans in Amsterdam - and confirmed that a bust-up with Schreuder was linked to his exit. Speaking after his move to Bayern Munich was confirmed, the Netherlands international lifted the lid on a a bust-up between him and the Ajax boss and told AD : "It was personal between me and Schreuder."
Outspoken Dutch pundit Wesley Sneijder has also slammed Schreuder and claimed that the 49-year-old simply isn't up to the job. Speaking after Blind's exit, he told Dutch TV show Veronica Offside: "He [Schreuder] can't manage. I've said it before: managing a team is much more important than setting the lines. Anyone can do that. But how do you deal with those players? And he's slowly just losing the dressing room."
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