Erik Ten Hag Could Manage Player He Tried to Sign at Man United

Erik ten Hag could manage one of his previous transfer targets after being tipped to return to coaching.

The former Manchester United manager got back into the game in the summer, taking the reigns at Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen after Xabi Alonso took the Real Madrid job.

However the Dutchman lasted just three competitive games, with one win, one draw and one loss.

Leverkusen sacked Ten Hag in record-breaking fashion and moved quickly to replace him with former Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand, who has won 11 out of his 17 games in charge and led the team to a 2-0 away win over Manchester City in the Champions League.

Ten Hag was heavily linked with an instant return to the dugout, with strong rumours that he could be heading back to former club Ajax for a second stint when they sacked John Heitinga.

Despite holding discussions with sporting director Alex Kroes, it was reported by NOS that he felt "the conditions were not right for a successful partnership".

Ten Hag lasted just three games at Leverkusen. Image: Getty

However, more recently, Ten Hag has emerged as one of the favourites to become the next Leeds United manager.

Daniel Farke has been under huge pressure at Elland Road but that was eased considerably on Wednesday night when his Leeds side recorded a shock 3-1 win over Chelsea.

Leeds beat the Blues just days after nearly grabbing a point against City at the Etihad before Phil Foden broke their hearts in stoppage time.

However, with BetVictor, Ten Hag is 6/4 to take the Leeds job if the club decided to part company with Farke.

And if he was to be appointed, Ten Hag would link up with a player he tried to sign for United. According to reports, United looked at signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin when he was at Everton and they were looking for a new striker.

A £40 million move was mooted, with Newcastle and Arsenal also said to be interested.

But Calvert-Lewin stayed put at Everton until the summer when he made the "incredibly difficult decision" to leave the Merseyside outfit.

He joined Leeds on a free transfer and has scored three times - including two in his last two against City and Chelsea.