Former Manchester United assistant manager Mitchell van der Gaag has claimed that the Premier League is much tougher than the Eredivisie in the Netherlands.
He began his coaching career with C.S. Martimo in Portugal but found success with Belenenses, winning promotion from the second division.
After suffering heart problems during a match in 2013, he had to be rushed to hospital and took a break from football.
He would eventually coach FC Eindhoven in the Dutch second tier before managing Eredivisie sides Excelsior and NAC Breda before joining up with Erik ten Hag at Ajax in 2019.
Van der Gaag followed the Dutchman to United in 2022 and was assistant coach for two years, winning the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.
Speaking to RG, the former assistant manager claimed that the standards of the Premier League were much more rigorous than in the Dutch league.
He explained, “the Premier League is a different beast, it has the best players and coaches in the world, and it never stops.”
The Dutchman drew further comparisons by stating, “its not like the Eredivisie where you can play at 60% of your capability and still win. Everyone is watching you and asking, What can you do? After you start winning, it becomes easier, but when its not going well, its important to understand how the players are mentally and how they are reacting to certain circumstances.”
He highlighted United’s tough start to the season in his first year at the club when they lost 1-2 at home to Brighton and Hove Albion and then were humbled 0-4 away to Brentford.
The 53 year old then opened up on why he decided to leave United in 2024 despite Erik ten Hag being retained as coach last summer.
Commenting on his time in the Netherlands and England he stated, “it was a no-brainer to work at clubs as big as Ajax and Manchester United, but as an assistant, you can get a bit too comfortable.”
He went on to opine, “you dont have the same stress as a manager who talks to the press and has to explain everything and deal with the criticism when theyre not performing, you just have to do whatever the manager asks of you.”
Van der Gaag claimed that he had a yearning to take on more of a leadership role and that he has now had the time to sit down and think about his own style of play.
Setting out his principles he claimed, “it depends on the quality of your players, but I think every team is capable of pressing high up or counter-pressing. I want my teams to play on the front foot, to have possession, but quickly win it back after losing it.”
Commenting on his future in the game, he stated that he is itching to get back into the manager’s chair. He stated, “Im open to anything, and I have the ambition and energy to start again.”
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Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
