John Murtough says Erik ten Hag landed the Manchester United job after he deeply impressed the hierarchy with his long-term vision for the club.
United on Thursday confirmed Ajax head coach Ten Hag will replace interim manager Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season.
The 52-year-old has agreed a deal until June 2025, subject to being granted a visa, with the option of extending his stay at Old Trafford by a further year.
Ten Hag has won two Eredivisie titles and the KNVB Cup twice since taking charge of Ajax in December 2017.
The Amsterdam giants are poised to lift the Eredivisie trophy again at the end of Ten Hag s reign, as they lead second-placed PSV by four points.
Football director Murtough revealed United were convinced the Dutchman is the right man to turn their fortunes around.
Made in the Netherlands. Ready for Manchester.
Erik ten Hag s next step is United. ||
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
He told the club s official website: During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team s attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth.
In our conversations with Erik leading up to this appointment, we were deeply impressed with his long-term vision for returning Manchester United to the level we want to be competing at, and his drive and determination to achieve that.
We wish Erik the best of luck as he focuses on achieving a successful end to the season at Ajax and look forward to welcoming him to Manchester United this summer.
While Ten Hag has become accustomed to winning trophies at Ajax, he faces a big rebuilding job at United.
The Red Devils have not won a trophy for five years and are sixth in the Premier League, seemingly looking set to miss out on Champions League qualification after being hammered 4-0 by Liverpool on Tuesday.