Manchester United stars work out as club edges closer to appointing Erik ten Hag

Ajax manager set to be announced as new Old Trafford boss after the weekend, according to reports

Manchester United's Jesse Lingard, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho during a session at Carrington training ground ahead of the Premier League clash against Norwich City. All pictures Getty Images

Paul Pogba, Diogo Dalot and Jadon Sancho battle for possession.

Anthony Elanga and Victor Lindelof in action.

Interim manager Ralf Rangnick leads the training session.

Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford compete for the ball.

Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Eric Bailly are put through their paces.

Nemanja Matic in action.

Goalkeeper David de Gea at Carrington training ground.

Manchester United may be out of Europe and out of contention for the Premier League, but they are never long out of the news.

Reports suggest that Ajax manager Erik ten Hag will become the new Old Trafford manager next season, with an announcement expected following the weekend after reaching an agreement in principle.

Ten Hag, 52, has been in charge of the Dutch giants since December 2017 but he has been repeatedly linked with the United post this summer, with Ralf Rangnick set to move into a consultancy role.

The United stars were preparing to face Norwich on Saturday as the speculation gathered pace, and need a win against the relegation strugglers to maintain any hope of reaching the Champions League places.

Rangnick agreed to take interim charge of United last November following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The club face missing out on the Champions League next season as they sit three spots and six points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham with seven games of the campaign remaining.

But that seems to have been no obstacle in attracting another standout European coach, with Ten Hag winning the Eredivisie and Dutch Cup twice while he led Ajax to the 2019 Champions League semi-finals.

Ajax are on course for another domestic double – they are four points clear of second-placed PSV Eindhoven and will take on their rivals in the final of the Dutch Cup this weekend.