Edwin van der Sar does not think that Erik ten Hag is working on his last season at Ajax. In an interview with the Amsterdammers, the general manager The Parool praising the coach, who according to him has developed quite well at Ajax. At the same time, Van der Sar – who has recently been regularly linked to Manchester United – also talks about his own future.
“I also hear and read that there is a lot of praise for our trainer and that there is interest in him from foreign clubs. I am happy with that. That was different in the beginning. Erik has continued to develop with us. The game that Ajax plays, the prizes we win, the exposure we get – we owe that partly to him”, Van der Sar admits. According to Van der Sar, the most important thing is that Ten Hag ‘can read and write’ with director of football affairs Marc Overmars.
Van der Sar emphasizes that Overmars and Ten Hag ‘challenge, stimulate and have discussions’. The director of Ajax further demands from the coach ‘creative and attacking football’ and cites the aim of joining the European top. “Erik approaches this in a very professional, driven, sometimes maniacal way. He has achieved that goal every day. Sometimes you think: what are you worried about? But Louis van Gaal also had that: always getting the most out of his can.”
Van der Sar is pleased that Overmars recently extended his contract until mid-2026. “I know Marc, he is always looking for a challenge and never stays in one place for long. We have philosophized about that. He has made a decision: I can enjoy working at Ajax, my work is appreciated and life in Amsterdam and Epe is good,” says Van der Sar. In his own words, he also knows that living and working abroad can be ‘fun, but hard’.
“At Ajax there is trust, peace and clarity”, emphasizes Van der Sar, who likes that what people are currently doing at Ajax is appreciated. “I’m not a conflict model anyway. I would like to cross the border again, but I still have a contract until 2023 and we are in talks to extend it. And we’re not done with Ajax yet. We still want to try to maintain this level and maybe even expand it.”