Erik ten Hag has the coaching qualities needed to succeed as Manchester United manager, according to Matthijs de Ligt.
Former Ajax boss Ten Hag was confirmed as Ralf Rangnick's successor in April and officially took charge last month.
The Dutchman takes over a United side that recorded their lowest points tally in a Premier League season last term when finishing 35 points behind champions Manchester City.
While the size of the rebuild job is clear to see, Juventus centre-back De Ligt – who played under Ten Hag in Amsterdam – believes his compatriot is up to the task.
"He is someone who loves his job and he loves to work," De Ligt said. "He's really into the details. This makes him a really good trainer.
"He has a lot of qualities [to succeed]. We will have to see how he goes."
United have been tipped to make a number of signings ahead of next season, but De Ligt insists Ten Hag can also get more out of United's current squad.
"He definitely improves players. He wants to do everything to make his team play better," the defender said.
Ten Hag, who is United's fifth permanent manager since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, is reportedly eager to make Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong his first signing.
De Ligt and De Jong played a big part in Ajax's run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018-19, when also winning a domestic double under the watch of Ten Hag.
However, De Ligt is not sure if his Netherlands team-mate will link up with Ten Hag at Old Trafford.
"He's an amazing player and everybody knows how important he is for the team," De Ligt said. "But he's not said anything [about a transfer]."
Aldershot miss out on play-off place after draw at Dagenham
Aldershot rescued a point in a 3-3 draw at Dagenham but missed out on a National League play-off spot.
Daggers striker Inih Effiong opened the scoring in the 34th minute, slamming home his 16th league goal of the season from Josh Hare’s cutback.
Aldershot were awarded a penalty at the start of the second half when Elliott Johnson brought down Kwame Thomas.
The Shots forward looked to be in an offside position and both managers were booked as tempers flared, but Cian Harries kept his cool to convert the spot-kick.
Dagenham boss Ben Strevens was then shown a red card before Lorent Tolaj headed the visitors in front in the 72nd minute.
Ryan Hill finished off a swift counter-attack to pull the home side level with eight minutes left and after Effiong was denied by the woodwork, the Daggers thought they had won it through Dion Pereira’s strike.
There was still time for Aldershot to level, though, as Josh Barrett found the top corner with a free-kick.
Ollie Banks fires late winner for NL Champions Chesterfield against Maidenhead
Ollie Banks scored a late winner as champions Chesterfield ended their time in the National League with a 3-2 victory over Maidenhead in front of a sell-out crowd of 10,108 at the SMH Group Stadium.
The Spireites, having lost four consecutive games since sealing promotion back to the English Football League last month, were 2-0 ahead after half an hour.
Joe Quigley’s fine work helped Liam Mandeville poke in from close range in the 28th minute before the forward got on the scoresheet himself shortly after, firing home after a goal-mouth scramble.
However, Maidenhead came out firing after the interval and were level courtesy of two goals in three minutes, with Tristan Abrahams slotting into an empty net after Harry Tyrer parried Reece Smith’s shot and then Kevin Lokko heading in.
But after Tom Naylor had a goal disallowed and Armando Dobra hit the post, Chesterfield finally found a winner at the death when Banks hammered in.
Altrincham secure home play-off tie with win over relegated Oxford City
Altrincham booked a home tie in the play-offs as they beat Oxford City 1-0 on the final day.
With City long since relegated, Alty knew it was the perfect chance to set up their post-season and they did so thanks to Regan Linney’s first-half goal.
Elliot Newby had already gone close when the opener came, with Newby tripped in the box allowing Linney to convert three minutes before half-time.
Chris Conn-Clarke almost added a second after the break but Altrincham had done enough.
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