Ajax want immediate return for high-profile Man United coach after sacking Maurice Steijn

It’s not been the greatest of starts to the 2023/24 season for Ajax, with the Dutch giants currently sat second from bottom of the Eredivisie table after the worst beginning to a campaign in their history.

The weekend reverse, a 4-3 defeat against Utrecht, was enough to see the powers that be at the club act decisively and sack unpopular coach, Maurice Steijn.

Normally up at the top of the table and challenging for the title, Ajax only have five points after seven games and are already a whopping 22 points behind league leaders, PSV Eindhoven.

Former Ajax and Man United manager, Louis van Gaal, back at the Dutch side in a consultancy role, has looked towards Old Trafford for an urgent replacement.

According to the Daily Mail, Ajax want Mitchell van der Gaag, one of Erik ten Hag’s first-team coaches at Man United, to return to the club he left with the current Red Devils manager.

The outlet suggest that for any move to prove successful, van der Gaag would need to push for the switch, which is said to be unlikely at this stage.

Only the emotional pull of the Dutch giants could change that, given just how poor Ajax have been this season.

Man United have been far from their best too, however, their problems appear to more easily solvable that Ajax’s at this point.

Van der Gaag would almost certainly be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire by returning, and it would therefore be difficult to see such a move succeeding.