Manchester United icon Ruud van Nistelrooy might not be the only new addition to Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff at Old Trafford.
As talks continue regarding a deal that would see one of the Red Devils’ most feted centre-forwards make an emotional return to England’s north west, there is another Dutch tactician who could be following in Van Nistelrooy’s footsteps as Ineos continue with a fleet of intriguing behind-the-scenes hires.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United plan to bring Rene Hake to Old Trafford too.
There is a confidence that a deal can be agreed to take Hake away from Go Ahead Eagles, the 52-year-old sacrificing a head coach role in the Eredivisie to become one of Ten Hag’s assistants in a new-look set up in the United dugout.
But who is Rene Hake? And why do Manchester United want him?
Manchester United set to hire Rene Hake
Well, the first thing to note is that Hake and Ten Hag appear to share a mutual admiration for each other. Hake has been likened to the Man United boss due to his penchant for a style of football which requires every player to be involved in both the attacking and the defensive side of the game, per De Volkskrant.
Hake lead Go Ahead Eagles to a very impressive ninth place finish in the 2023/24 campaign, comfortably their best campaign in over 15 years.
Ten Hag, Voetbal International points out, worked with Hake at FC Twente when they were both beginning their coaching journeys too. Interestingly, it was Ten Hag who was credited with inspiring the appointment of Hake as Twente’s Under 19 coach in 2005.
Ten Hag and Hake have shared a strong bond ever since. Ten Hag even gave his backing to Hake when the latter got the FC Utrecht job back in 2020, labelling him a ‘good’ coach capable of stabilising a then-sinking ship.
Admired by Erik ten Hag
“After our common period at Twente, we have always kept in touch,” Ten Hag told Voetbal International in 2023.
“We meet up and call each other. You talk about private matters, how things are going at home and with the children. But usually it is about football.
“(At Twente) he was incredibly driven, ambitious, but also extremely convinced of himself. A trainer who worked very methodically.”
“Erik thinks I’m an annoying guy,” Hake said with a wink after his Utrecht side stunned Ten Hag’s Ajax away from home in October 2021, via De Telegraaf. “(Our performance) shows that you can be very good against those (top Dutch) teams.”
Hake would lead Utrecht to sixth place in 2021 before somewhat harshly losing his job late on that following campaign. His impact at an unfancied Go Ahead Eagles outfit, meanwhile, is further proof of Hake’s ability to build a side greater than the sum of it’s parts.
Hake also crossed paths with current Man United assistant Steve McClaren at FC Twente. He was in charge of the Under 21s when McClaren secured both the league title and his status as an Enschede legend in 2010.
Good football and good results
Such was the success Hake enjoyed at Go Ahead Eagles, some suggested he might have been the right man to replace the Liverpool-bound Arne Slot at 2023 Eredivisie champions Feyenoord.
“I don’t know if Hake has enough flair for Rotterdam, but he is a professional,” ex-Twente ace Youri Mulder told the AD Voetbalpodcast.
“He always puts his teams in a good position. I already thought that at FC Twente.”
The Voetbal Primeur website, meanwhile, also named Hake as one of their Manager of the Year candidates at the end of 2023. They highlighted not only his tendency ot overachive but also his ability to create a team capable of playing free-flowing Voetbal.
“Hake knows how to surprise,” they wrote. “Hake has done a great job. He has managed to turn Go Ahead into a real Eredivisie club. Apart from the good performances, Go Ahead is also playing good football this season.”
It remains to be seen exactly what role Hake and Van Nistelrooy will play at Man United. There are also questions that must be asked about the future of Ten Hag’s trusted assistant Mitchell van der Gaag.