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 out of nine Premier League games and sitting 14th in the table.
TikTok / SEGStoriesErik ten Hag has revealed when he plans to get back into management[/caption]
TikTok / SEGStoriesSpeaking 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 skint 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 added: “I had already decided for myself, ‘Okay, I’m not doing anything until the 1st of July’.”
Man Utd ratings vs Everton
MANCHESTER UNITED fought back from two goals down to draw against Everton at Goodison Park
The Red Devils were slammed as “embarrassing” by Rio Ferdinand after failing 2-0 down in the first half.
But they fought back late on thanks to a stunning Bruno Fernandes free-kick and volley from Manuel Ugarte, who bagged his first goal since his summer arrival from PSG.
Amorim’s men were then lucky to escape a penalty in the final moments after VAR overturned the decision.
SunSport’s Ken Lawrence has given his ratings of the Manchester United team…
Andre Onana – 7
United needed him with his game-head on, and his 93rd-minute stop saved a point.
Noussair Mazraoui 69′ – 4
Looked seriously uncomfortable on the right side of the back three – forced there because of a defensive injury crisis
Harry Maguire – 4
Out-jumped by Doucoure as the midfielder grabbed Everton’s second and was generally all over the place.
Matthijs de Ligt – 4
Nowhere for Beto’s opener, completely missing attempted clearance and got away with a 93rd-minute penalty call.
Diogo Dalot – 5
At least shows willing. Which is more than could be said for some of his team mates at Goodison.
Manuel Ugarte – 7
Spent most of the game stranded in United’s midfield morass but salvation came with a brilliant strike.
Casemiro 62′ – 2
The Brazilian is beginning to look like the world’s oldest 32-year-old —he’s become a genuine irrelevance.
Patrick Dorgu – 6
Made a determined start down the left flank but that enthusiasm was slowly but surely sucked out of him.
Bruno Fernandes – 8
His free kick was genuine class and once he was dropped deeper started controlling the game.
Joshua Zirkzee – 4
At £36.5M you would expect an element of ball control but the Dutchman used as a joint No 10 just looks lost.
Rasmus Hojlund 69′ – 3
Not so much a desperate Dane, more a despairing one although it would help if he had some support.
Subs:
Alejandro Garnacho 62′ – 7
Injected some desperately needed pace and passion.
Leny Yoro 69′ – 6
Should have been on much earlier.
Chido Obi-Martin 69′ – 5
The 17-year-old has a presence for sure.
As well as the general pressures of the Man Utd job, Ten Hag was forced to deal with player mutinies from Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho.
Meanwhile, a bust-up he had with Raphael 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”.
