Erik ten Hag must be excited to get started as Manchester United manager.

While there is still work to do to ensure that Ajax win yet another Eredivisie title this season, Ten Hag must at least have one eye on the monumental task that awaits him at Old Trafford.

Thursday's announcement that the Dutchman would be commanding the Red Devils once Ralf Rangnick moves upstairs was a fascinating and exciting statement of intent from the club.

Ten Hag to Man Utd

There's good reason to believe that Ten Hag is singing from the same hymn sheet as the 'United Way' with a real impetus on attacking football and an investment in the future.

While other touted contenders like Mauricio Pochettino and Luis Enrique most certainly aren't short of quality, one can't help feeling that Ten Hag makes for the closest fit for the Red Devils.

We'll just have to wait and see whether Ten Hag will be able to make the step up to arguably the biggest club in the world having previously only managed Go Ahead Eagles, Utrecht and Ajax.

Ten Hag to pocket £9m per year

But even if things start to come apart at the seams, Ten Hag can at least rest assured that he's being paid a pretty penny to grit his teeth and bite down on his gum shield to bring the glory days back to United.

In fact, according to The Sun, the new Red Devils boss will be pocking £9 million each year, which will make him the fifth-highest-paid manager in England's top-flight as things stand.

With Pep Guardiola earning more than double and Brendan Rodgers pocketing more at Leicester City, there are plenty of interesting patterns and details to be drawn from Ten Hag's pay packet.

Liverpool 4-0 Man Utd Match Reaction (Football Terrace)

The highest-paid Premier League managers

As such, The Sun decided to place Ten Hag within the current wage rankings of Premier League managers with only Burnley absent given Sean Dyche's sacking, so check out the list below:

19. Thomas Frank (Brentford) - £1.5 million

18. Dean Smith (Norwich City) - £2 million

17. Graham Potter (Brighton & Hove Albion) - £2.5 million

16. Bruno Lage (Wolverhampton Wanderers) - £3 million

=14. Jesse Marsch (Leeds United) - £3.5 million

Leeds'
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=14. Eddie Howe (Newcastle United) - £3.5 million

13. Patrick Vieira (Crystal Palace) - £4.5 million

=10. Roy Hodgson (Watford) - £5 million

=10. Steven Gerrard (Aston Villa) - £5 million

=10. David Moyes (West Ham United) - £5 million

West Ham's Moyes applauds.

Soccer Football - Europa League - Round of 16 First Leg - Sevilla v West Ham United - Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Seville, Spain - March 10, 2022 West Ham United manager David Moyes applauds fans after the match REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo

9. Frank Lampard (Everton) - £6 million

8. Ralph Hasenhuttl (Southampton) - £7 million

7. Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea) - £8 million

6. Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) - £8.3 million

5. Erik ten Hag (Manchester United) - £9 million

Ajax's Ten Hag on the touchline.
Soccer Football - Champions League - Group D - Ajax Amsterdam v Atalanta - Johan Cruijff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands - December 9, 2020 Ajax Amsterdam coach Erik ten Hag REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw

Soccer Football - Champions League - Group D - Ajax Amsterdam v Atalanta - Johan Cruijff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands - December 9, 2020 Ajax Amsterdam coach Erik ten Hag REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw

4. Brendan Rodgers (Leicester City) - £10 million

3. Antonio Conte (Tottenham Hotspur) - £15 million

2. Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool) - £16 million

  1. Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) - £19 million
Man City's Guardiola celebrates.

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A tidy pay packet for Ten Hag

Not a bad place to join the shuffle, hey Erik?

It's maybe a little surprising when you consider just how much United have overpaid on player wages in recent years that they haven't been quite so extravagant with Ten Hag's pay packet.

However, the fact that they've reined themselves in a little bit can hardly be a bad thing and it certainly makes the likes of Leicester and Southampton really look as though they're splashing the cash.

We shouldn't be too shocked that Klopp and Guardiola are miles ahead as arguably the best two managers in the world, though Tuchel only coming in at seventh might raise a few eyebrows.

City's Guardiola and Liverpool's Klopp.

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Similarly, you might have expected to see Howe at least finishing in a mid-table position when you consider the huge injection of money that Newcastle have experienced with their new owners.

Nevertheless, finances in football don't always work out quite how you imagine them to and we're pretty sure that Ten Hag will be laughing all the way to the bank with his cool £9 million at United.