Former Man Utd manager Louis van Gaal takes dig at club amid interest in Erik ten Hag

Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes Erik ten Hag should consider snubbing the Red Devils as he sees them as a ‘commercial club’.

United are looking for a long-term successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of next season after sacking the Norwegian in November.

Ralf Rangnick was appointed as interim manager until the end of the campaign, with a view for him to move into a consultancy role thereafter.

"I’m not going to advise [Erik], he’ll call me himself. But he must choose a football club and not a commercial club," Van Gaal said during his pre-match press conference.

Ten Hag is currently the bookies’ favourite to take the hot seat at Old Trafford after reports from the Mail last week claimed he had been interviewed by United for the role.

The Dutchman, who has been in charge of Ajax since 2017, has guided the club to two Eredivisie titles and Dutch Cups, as well as the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019.

However, ex-Red Devils boss Van Gaal has taken shots at his former employer by calling them a ‘commercial club’ and has suggested Ten Hag would be better joining a ‘football club’.

"Erik ten Hag is a great coach and that is always good for Manchester United," Van Gaal added.

"But Manchester United are a commercial club, so it’s a difficult choice for a coach. He’d better go to a football club."

Van Gaal was appointed United manager in 2014, lasting two seasons at Old Trafford before being sacked.

During this time, he guided the club to the FA Cup final in 2016, where the Red Devils beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in extra-time.

Ten Hag’s current contract with Ajax expires in 2023 and is amongst a list of candidates for the job at Old Trafford.

According to the BBC, Paris Saint-Germain’s Mauricio Pochettino, Sevilla head coach Julen Lopetegui and Spain manager Luis Enrique are also on the shortlist.