Paul Scholes urges Manchester United to appoint Edwin van der Sar alongside Erik ten Hag

Manchester United should appoint Edwin van der Sar, according to Paul Scholes, to provide Erik ten Hag with a conduit to the club’s board of directors. Ten Hag will take over as United’s next manager at the end of the season, after his appointment was made official last week.

Following a disappointing season at Ajax, the current Ajax manager has a daunting assignment at Old Trafford. The 52-year-old is set to undergo a massive overhaul in the summer, with interim manager Ralf Rangnick estimating that United may require up to ten new acquisitions. Given the size of the task, Scholes reckons Ten Hag might use some assistance.

Rangnick will transition to a consulting role, as agreed upon when he first joined the club. Scholes, on the other hand, believes Ten Hag will require a link between himself and the club’s board of directors, and that Van der Sar could be the ideal choice.

After taking over as Ajax’s chief executive in 2016, the former United goalkeeper has worked alongside Ten Hag. The Dutch giants have re-established themselves as a power in Europe and have dominated locally in recent years under their leadership.

When asked how distant United is from reclaiming the Premier League title, Scholes told talkSPORT: “It feels like a long way.” I believe he (Ten Hag) will be competing for fourth place next season, which is not something you want or anticipate from Manchester United.

“We all anticipated them to challenge for the title at the start of the season, and that has gone horribly wrong.” I believe it will take three, four, or even five years for us to reach a point where we can compete for the league.

“I have a hunch when this manager comes in, he’ll be thrown into the lion’s den unless something or someone above him comes in as well.” Richard Arnold, Ed Woodward, and John Murtough, the club’s owners, are outstanding with the business side of the club, but football expertise is not one of their strong suits.

“I believe Ten Hag requires someone to serve as a liaison between management and the playing field and the boardroom. If you could bring someone in, I’m not going to name names, but if you think about Edwin van der Sar and what he’s done with him at Ajax, he’s been phenomenal in developing that bond.

“I believe he requires some sort of link between the players and the boardroom in order to succeed.”