Man United are 'refusing new boss Erik ten Hag's request to have Steve McClaren as his assistant'

New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's request to bring Steve McClaren in as his assistant has been met with resistance from within the club, according to reports.

United officially confirmed the appointment of Ten Hag on Thursday and the Dutchman will leave his job at Ajax at the end of the season to become the Red Devils' fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

The 52-year-old has agreed a three-year contract at Old Trafford, with the option of one further year but the club announced the deal without a mention of his backroom staff.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Ten Hag had lined McClaren and long-term Ajax assistant Mitchell van der Gaag to be No 2s at Old Trafford.

However, Ten Hag has taken the United hotseat without coming to an agreement with the club over his assistants.

United have reportedly asked the Dutch manager to evaluate the club's current backroom staff first before he makes a decision, according to The Telegraph.

The Red Devils' current staff include Sir Alex Ferguson’s former assistant Mike Phelan, the director of football Darren Fletcher, Eric Ramsay who was promoted by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from the academy and Richard Hartis, the current goalkeeping coach.

But assistant coach Chris Armas is expected to leave Old Trafford when interim manager Ralf Rangnick steps down at the end of the season.

It is likely the club will ultimately cave and sanction the two assistants or they risk undermining Ten Hag's reign before it has even begun.

Ten Hag and McClaren know each other well with Ten Hag having been McClaren's assistant for the 2008-09 season at Dutch outfit Twente.

It was McClaren's first campaign within Dutch football and the potential role reversal at United would be Ten Hag's first foray within the English game too.

McClaren and Ten Hag worked successfully together during that sole season, with Twente finishing second in the Eredivisie. Ten Hag left that summer and McClaren steered the Dutch side to their only top-flight title that following term.

A move to Old Trafford would be McClaren's second spell at the club, having been legendary figure Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant between 1999 and 2001. The now 60-year-old's first campaign coincided with their iconic Treble-winning haul.

McClaren left Old Trafford in 2001 to pursue his own management career with Middlesbrough.

Ten Hag reportedly wants McClaren in his dugout due to his experience in English football, given it will be the manager's first foray into the Premier League.

Recently, McClaren has been working on a project with Fifa led by Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger, looking into development pathways in all 208 Fifa nations.

Speaking about Ten Hag's qualities, McClaren was effusive about what the 52-year-old would bring to Old Trafford.

'His great strength lies not just in his attention to detail and organisation,' he told The Telegraph.

'He has a clear philosophy of how he wants to play football; the environment he wants to create. The player progression programme was a key part of Twente. He has done that at Ajax too, for each player from the academy to the first team.

'You look at Hakim Ziyech and now the [Brazilian] striker Antony, a very good player who will be the next one to go. I have seen this Ajax team and it's very good. Erik is very disciplined and people have to buy into that and have that work ethic.

'Tactically he's outstanding. He worked with Pep [Guardiola] at Bayern Munich and took in his philosophy too. They called him "Mini Pep" out there. He's ready. A lot of top clubs in Germany and England will be out to get him.'