Erik ten Hag’s touchline suspension for Manchester United’s Premier League clash with Everton means a different face will be more prominent in the dugout on Sunday afternoon.
The Dutchman has been booked in games against Tottenham, Arsenal and Luton Town, meaning he will have to watch on from the stands at Goodison Park as his side attempt to navigate a cauldron of hate provoked by a recent ten-point penalty.
Instead, Ten Hag confirmed assistant coach Mitchell van der Gaag will step in as his replacement while he takes things in from above and reiterated his belief and confidence in his backroom staff, which also includes former England manager Steve McClaren.
He said in his pre-match press conference: “I’m quite confident. I will have an even better overview [from the stands], but we have a very good backroom staff.
“They are very capable and experienced, so they know what to do. That will not affect our game.”
Joining Van der Gaag, who accompanied Ten Hag when he first joined Man Utd last year after serving as assistant at Ajax, alongside McClaren will be Eric Ramsay and Benni McCarthy. He has previously served as a manager himself with spells in Portugal, Cyprus and the Netherlands.
As a player, Van der Gaag featured prominently in the Eredivisie, Scottish Premier League and Primeira Liga and made four appearances for the Netherlands Under-21s at the start of the 1990s.
Man Utd take on an Everton side reeling from their points deduction and now five points off safety following Luton’s win over Crystal Palace on Saturday. The Red Devils also have a number of injury worries with the likes of Casemiro, Mason Mount, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez among the many players currently sidelined.
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