Erik ten Hag has publicly praised Rene Hake. (Image: SKY SPORTS) Erik ten Hag's first recruit of the summer transfer window looks set to be among his coaching staff rather than his playing squad in the form of a reunion with Go Ahead Eagles boss Rene Hake. The Dutchman is heading for Old Trafford to become one of Manchester United's two new assistants alongside club icon Ruud van Nistelrooy.

INEOS will imminently wrap up discussions with Ten Hag over a new contract after deciding against sacking him ahead of their first full season in charge.

As part of talks, the 54-year-old appears to have agreed to a coaching shake-up to welcome fresh ideas to a squad that looked devoid of them too often last term.

Meanwhile, popular attacking coach Benni McCarthy, who arrived with Ten Hag in 2022, will leave when his contract expires this weekend.

Hake's arrival comes somewhat as a surprise, considering he guided Go Ahead Eagles to European football for just the third time last season.

However, Ten Hag has made no secret of his admiration of the 52-year-old, having remained close since first working together almost 20 years ago.

"After our common period at Twente, we have always kept in touch. We meet up and call each other," the United boss explained last year.

"You talk about private matters, how things are going at home and with the children. But usually, it is about football. He was incredibly driven, ambitious, but also extremely convinced of himself [at Twente].

"He's a trainer with a CIOS background who worked very methodically. Rene had competencies that you do not learn on the football field."

In 2005, Hake left his academy role at FC Essen to join FC Twente, where Ten Hag was overseeing the U19 team after taking charge of the U17s.

While the pair's busy lives as managers in recent years has made it more difficult to keep in touch face-to-face, Ten Hag has reportedly remained in contact with Hake over messaging apps.

In 2021, he said: "We think the same about many things in life and in football. At Twente, we worked together intensively, and we infected each other in the good sense of the word.

"As a result, you also drive each other to new insights and plans. This creates a kind of shared vision.

"We both love the game, and perhaps our working method is partly the same. We are both not averse to hard work."