Gullit, a leading figure in Dutch soccer, was outspoken in a program on Bayern Sports, saying that former Manchester United manager Jens Ten Hag was dismissed largely because he ignored his own key advice. Gullit revealed that the most serious mistake that Ten Hag made in his managerial career at Manchester United was not taking his advice and copying Ajax's tactical system and player style to the Premier League.
On the show, Gullit gave an in-depth insight: "We had clearly warned him not to bring Ajax players straight to the Premier League, but unfortunately he did not learn his lesson and fell into the same trap again."
Gullit further supports his point with examples, "Van Gaal made a similar mistake when he brought in Depay, but Depay did nowhere near as well in the Premier League as he did at Ajax. Similarly, Malacia, who was brought in by Ten Hagar (despite being signed from Feyenoord, Gullit may be confusing or specifically referring to a similar style of player here), did not perform well in the Premier League."
Despite regretting Ten Hagar's coaching decisions, Gullit still speaks highly of him, "I admit that Ten Hagar is an excellent coach, but I think he failed to fully appreciate the complexities of coaching at United."
Gullit also said he understood the coach's reliance on familiar players, "I understand the coach's reliance on familiar players, but the Premier League is faster-paced and more competitive, which definitely makes coaching more difficult. We warned him about this, but he continued to choose this path, which is very regrettable."
