Former Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has landed a new job one day after his Red Devils successor, Ruben Amorim, was sacked by the Premier League club.
Amorim, 40, who was sacked on Monday (January 5), and Ten Hag, 55, are the two latest managers who have tried and ultimately failed to return Man United to its former glory.
The Portuguese replaced Ten Hag as United head coach in the autumn of 2024 but ultimately lasted just 14 months at Old Trafford and left the club sixth in the Premier League.
One thing Amorim did not achieve, though, was winning a trophy at United, which was something Ten Hag managed to do twice when the Red Devils won the 2023 Carabao Cup and 2024 FA Cup.
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Despite signing a new deal at United following the Wembley triumph over Manchester City in May of 2024, Ten Hag was sacked after the side won just three of their opening nine games in the 2024/25 campaign.
The Dutchman, who previously managed Ajax and was a coach at Bayern Munich, has since managed Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen but lasted just two games of the German league season before he was given his marching orders on September 1.
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127 days on, he has now landed a role at Eredivisie club FC Twente.
In a club statement, the one-time Dutch champions confirmed that Ten Hag will join on February 1 and has signed a contract through to mid-2028 to become the club’s technical director due to current technical director Jan Streuer being scheduled to retire at the end of the season.
Ten Hag previously held a coaching position at the club and made 257 appearances for Twente during his playing career.
The 55-year-old will start work ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Speaking to the club’s website, Ten Hag explained: “I think it's wonderful and special to return to FC Twente, where I've been a supporter at Het Diekman since I was a young boy.
“My football and coaching careers began here. With my experience in youth development, team building, and elite sports culture, I want to strengthen FC Twente's technical foundation together with the Supervisory Board, management, and staff, so the club can sustainably realize its potential as a regional flagship.”
General manager Dominique Scholten said Ten Hag and the club had been in “regular” contact for “several months” before his appointment.
"Erik has an incredible track record in football, and his bond with FC Twente has always remained very strong,” Scholten added.
“At FC Twente, he served as youth coach, head of academy, and assistant coach, and subsequently as head coach and technical manager at renowned clubs, both nationally and internationally. We've been in regular contact over the past few months, and our conversations quickly revealed a strong ambition to further develop FC Twente. This ambition aligns with the strategy we recently presented. We are raising the bar and further professionalizing the football organization. We took the first step in this direction last year with the arrival of Tim Gilissen."
Topics: Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United, Football, Eredivisie, Ruben Amorim, Premier League
Luke Davies