ERIK TEN HAG has given a major career update after being sacked by Manchester United.
The Dutchman was relieved of his duties at Old Trafford at the end of October after winning just three of their nine Premier League games under him and sitting 14th in the table.
Erik ten Hag has revealed when he plans to get back into management[/caption]
Speaking on SEG Stories he spoke about what he ‘misses’ about Man Utd[/caption]
Things have not improved at his old club under successor Ruben Amorim with the club now in 15th and having lost 12 from 26 games in the league – a run not seen since the club was last relegated.
Quarterly accounts revealed it cost stint Man Utd £14.5million to sack Ten Hag, his staff and former sporting director Dan Ashworth.
However, the 55-year-old has now reflected on his time at the helm of the Red Devils, admitting there is one thing he misses more than any other.
Speaking to SEG Stories, he said: “If there is one thing I miss, it’s Old Trafford.
“You’re always working towards a dot on the horizon but you never get to the horizon.
“We’ve had many highs at Manchester United, but as I always say there is always room for improvement. And good is not enough, you can do better.”
Ten Hag always thought highly of the Man Utd faithful, pending an emotional thank you letter to them after his sacking in which he said: “Dear fans, let me start by thanking you.
“Thank you for always being there for the club. Whether it was a game far away or a tough match at Old Trafford, your support has been unshakeable.
“The atmosphere at Old Trafford has always been electrifying, thanks to you. I felt it many times.
“Also in away games, it gave the team and me an incredible feeling to hear the United chants taking over the opponents’ stadiums, whether the game was in England, Europe or during the summer tours…
“I want to thank you for giving me this feeling and for your support. I also want to thank the staff in every department of the club for their unwavering support in good times and bad.
“I wish all Manchester United fans nothing but success, trophies and glory. Your support and the warmth I received from everyone at the club helped me feel at home. Thank you for this chapter in my life.”
During Ten Hag’s time in England, he won the League Cup and FA Cup.
But he also oversaw Man Utd’s worst-ever Premier League finish in his second season before kicking off another record-breaking campaign in all the wrong ways.
Ten Hag has been linked with a variety of managerial jobs, including Borussia Dortmund, after his two-and-a-half-year spell in Manchester came to an end.
He said: “I had already decided for myself, ‘Okay, I’m not doing anything until the 1st of July.”
As well as the general pressures of the Man Utd job, Ten Hag was forced to deal with player mutinies from Cristiano Ronaldo and later Jadon Sancho.
Meanwhile, a bust-up he had with Rapheal Varane also came to light last week.
The centre-back revealed the pair had a heated argument in November 2023 when discussing the team’s form and set-up, which left Varane frozen out of the team for two months.
The Frenchman told The Athletic: “It’s hard to find the right words, it was very tense at times.
“Sometimes he made an effort to listen to the players’ feedback. Sometimes he made decisions without listening.
“So there were ups and downs. It was complicated at times. He always needed an example of a player who was alone the entire time he was at Manchester.
“He did that with at least one important player on the team. He was always in conflict with certain leaders of the group, that is his way of managing.
“We had a robust discussion. We told each other some truths but then I didn’t play again for almost two months.
“I said I didn’t agree with certain ways of doing things regarding the relationship between him and the team.
“It wasn’t something that I thought was good for the team because some players weren’t satisfied.
“It was not good in terms of the relationship with the coach. He said, ‘OK I heard what you said’, and after that I didn’t play.
“I also have to recognise what was good. He gave me the peace of mind to come back from my injury to play in the FA Cup final.
“He was counting on me, that was very positive, it allowed me to play my role in the team.”
Varane also added he was “surprised” Ten Hag was kept on following the FA Cup final – one of many poor decisions from Ineos in their first 12 months in charge of United – as the “connection with the group no longer existed”.
