Hake and Van Nistelrooy join United as Ten Hag refreshes coaching team

Rene Hake and Ruud van Nistelrooy have joined Manchester United as Assistant Managers as part of a refresh of the club's coaching staff by Erik ten Hag.

Hake joins from Eredivisie side Go Ahead Eagles, where he has been Head Coach since 2022, and has held senior coaching and Academy roles at a number of clubs in his homeland over the last two decades.

Van Nistelrooy will need little introduction to United fans, having scored 150 goals in 219 appearances for the club between 2001 and 2006, while winning the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup. He was previously Head Coach of PSV Eindhoven from March 2022 to May 2023.

Meanwhile, Jelle ten Rouwelaar has joined as United's new First Team Goalkeeper Coach. The 43-year-old worked under Vincent Kompany at Burnley for the last two seasons and joined Ajax two months ago. United have agreed a compensation package with the Dutch giants to secure his release.

Ten Rouwelaar replaces Richard Hartis, who has left United after five years, having joined under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2019.

Forwards coach Benni McCarthy has also departed, as has Assistant Mitchell van der Gaag, who wants to pursue ambitions to become a Head Coach himself.

Two staff who will remain from last season are Steve McClaren and Darren Fletcher, although they will take on the new titles of Senior First Team Coach and First Team Coach respectively.

McClaren was previously Assistant and Fletcher was Technical Director - although his remit was never entirely clear and United now have a new Technical Director in Jason Wilcox, who joined from Southampton in April. A big part of Wilcox's remit will be overseeing the club's game model and methodology, from Academy to First Team.

New Sporting Director Dan Ashworth said: “Together with Erik, we are working to strengthen all areas of our men’s first-team operations, and refreshing the coaching staff is an important part of that.

“It’s a particular pleasure to welcome Ruud back to the club where he enjoyed so much success as a player, and I know that he and Rene will help reinforce the winning mentality and high standards we are aiming for.”

Ten Hag added: “I am delighted that Rene and Ruud have agreed to join our project, adding a wealth of experience, knowledge and new energy to the staff. Now is a good time to refresh the coaching team as we look to build on the achievements of the past two years and push to the next level.

“Mitchell has decided that now is the right time for him to pursue his own ambitions in a number one position. I want to pay tribute to his fantastic service over the past two years, and also to Benni for his important contributions. We send them our thanks and best wishes for the future.”