Erik ten Hag believes Arne Slot will find it easier to take charge at Liverpool than when he joined Manchester United.
Ten Hag says the mess he inherited at Old Trafford in the summer of 2022 was “the hardest thing I'll ever do in my life”.
By contrast, the United boss insists that Slot, who replaced Jürgen Klopp, has arrived at a Liverpool team that is at “a different stage of the life cycle”.
The two Dutchmen will meet in the Premier League for the first time on Sunday when United take on Liverpool at Old Trafford.
“That was one of the reasons I wanted to come here, to have this challenge,” said Ten Hag when asked about the situation he found at the club when he arrived from Ajax.
“I knew beforehand that this was the most difficult thing I would do in my life, entering a club where there were many problems that we had to solve.”
Ten Hag inherited a United side coming off a miserable season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, finishing sixth in the Premier League with just 58 points.
Liverpool, meanwhile, finished third under Klopp last season and won the Carabao Cup.
“I'm not here to speak for him. [Slot] “But Liverpool, it's clear, are in a different phase of the life cycle,” said Ten Hag. “They have a mature team, players who have been playing together for a long time and who have a lot of experience. We have a much bigger mix and we have to build a new team.
“There is a team and the structures are very clear, I think the players, the partnerships, the relationships in that team are very clear and that is what he inherited, what has been built over the last few years. So things are still the same, but I have also seen some things that he had already incorporated.”
Ten Hag has had a mixed record at United, winning two trophies in two years but also leading the team to their worst Premier League finish last season.
The 54-year-old has also spent big in the transfer market, including more than £180 million ($236.3 million) on five new players this summer, but insists the squad overhaul has been necessary.
“I inherited a history of six years without trophies, which means the dressing room and the qualities were not right,” added Ten Hag. “So we had to build, build, perform and take the team to a higher level. We did that with signings, but also by bringing academy players into the squad.
“What you see now is that we have brought in new players, many young ones, and we are in a life cycle from the beginning. We are still in the transition stage, we have young players and now we have to build a team from them for the future.”
