Ten Hag interviews for Man Utd manager job and asks about transfer budget as Ajax boss prepares for Old Trafford switch

ERIK TEN HAG has been officially interviewed for the Manchester United hot-seat.

As SunSport exclusively revealed, the Ajax chief is the No1 candidate to take over as permanent manager from interim boss Ralf Rangnick.

And now the 52-year-old Dutchman has held formal talks with United chiefs regarding the position, according to the .

Discussions are said to have taken place on Monday, with Mauricio Pochettino, Julen Lopetegui and Luis Enrique also lined up for interviews.

But Ten Hag is the firm frontrunner for the position after pulling ahead of Pochettino in the race to be in the dugout.

Ten Hag came out on top after the club spent weeks putting together dossiers on possible appointments.

Transfer guru claimed that Ten Hag arrived at the interview with questions about the club's transfer kitty going forward.

He also wanted United's plans for the future laid bare in front of him.

The man himself is thought to be "ready" for a crack at the Premier League, with his English also coming along drastically as of late.

Ajax expect Ten Hag to leave at the end of the campaign and could reportedly bag up to £4million in compensation for losing their head coach.

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The two clubs have a good relationship, largely thanks to United legend Edwin van der Sar being Ajax chief executive.

Football director John Murtough and technical director Darren Fletcher are overseeing the process of appointing the next manager, with Rangnick himself also having a say.

The club hope to announce their man next month after kicking off formal interviews with their potential candidates.

But Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is no longer in the running for the role.

United want to name a manager as soon as possible, and the uncertainty surrounding Chelsea's takeover and sanctions on the club could make targeting Tuchel a lengthy process.