Erik ten Hag has relieved some pressure off himself but Zinedine Zidane could be there to pile it back on should Manchester United slip up again.
Ten Hag’s side survived a huge scare from Brentford to secure a vital 2-1 home victory at the weekend. Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund both found the net in the second half after Ethan Pinnock took advantage of Mattijs de Ligt receiving treatment off the pitch to head home on the stroke of half-time.
A defeat would have been devastating for Ten Hag, who is already trying to overturn United’s worst start to a league season since 1989. Ironically, five years previously, the Dutchman was the one inflicting pain on another manager who was struggling at a European giant – all while Zidane was being linked with the club.
In 2019, Ten Hag’s mesmerising Ajax team faced a Real Madrid side who were struggling under Santiago Solari. Despite their difficulties, a team featuring Luka Modric, Vinicius Jr, Karim Benzema and others were expected to overcome a club that hadn’t advanced from a Champions Leagueknockout tie in 22 years.
However, the giants from Amsterdam embarrassed Real on their home turf, thrashing them 4-1 and knocking the then 13-time European Champions out of the tournament at the Round of 16 stage. In response, Real’s president Florentino Perez immediately called Zidane, begging him to return to the club, reports the Mirror.
The iconic midfielder took a moment to weigh up his options. Solari would oversee one more match, a 4-1 triumph over Real Valladolid, but the thrashing by Ajax solidified his decision.
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