By TARA ANSON-WALSH, FOOTBALL REPORTER
Published: 08:41 EST, 6 November 2025 | Updated: 08:42 EST, 6 November 2025
Erik ten Hag is being mooted for a return to former club Ajax, according to reports in the Netherlands.
The 55-year-old has held talks over replacing embattled boss John Heitinga at the Amsterdam club after Heitinga managed to secure just one win in their last seven matches across all competitions, according to AD.
Ten Hag met with technical director Alex Kroes this week, the report adds.
The former Manchester United manager has been out of a job since September, when he was sacked after just two league matches in charge of the German club - the fastest dismissal in Bundesliga history - after being appointed as Xabi Alonso's successor in May on a two-year deal.
In a bombshell statement, Ten Hag criticised the club's management for not giving him the 'time' to 'implement his vision', calling his dismissal 'unprecedented' and stating that 'this was never a relationship based on mutual trust'.
Ajax, meanwhile, have been struggling under former academy star and Everton and Fulham defender Heitinga following his appointment in May. Domestically, they are fourth in the Eredivisie - eight points shy of league leaders Feyenoord.
Erik ten Hag is being mooted for a return to former club Ajax - where he lifted three league titles
He has also been linked with the Wolves job following the sacking of Vitor Pereira on Sunday
Ajax have been struggling under former academy star and Everton defender John Heitinga
On Wednesday night, they were handed their fourth consecutive Champions League defeat this season, with Italy's Victor Osimhen netting a treble for Galatasaray at the Johan Cruyff Arena, condemning them to the bottom of the group-stage table.
Following the match, Ajax's supporter group released a statement reading: 'This is no longer sustainable. The decline in the sport must be halted now.
'The AFCA Supporters Club has enormous respect for Heitinga as a player. But now we are judging him as a coach.'
Ten Hag previously spent four-and-a-half years at the club between 2017 and 2022, where he lifted five trophies, including three Eredivisie titles, before his ultimately doomed move to Manchester.
He has also been linked with the Wolves job following the sacking of Vitor Pereira on Sunday. The bookies currently have him at 5-1 to assume the Premier League vacancy, while former boss Gary O'Neil is at 15-1.