Manchester United flop Erik ten Hag has landed his first job back in football after he was replaced by Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford earlier this season
10:14, 26 May 2025Updated 10:27, 26 May 2025
Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag is back(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Erik ten Hag has landed his first footballing role after he was sacked by Manchester United.
Ten Hag, 55, has been confirmed as the new Bayer Leverkusen boss after Xabi Alonso stepped down from the role. Alonso is set to be announced as the new Real Madrid boss, impressing with Leverkusen in Germany.
"With Erik ten Hag, we are relying on an experienced coach with impressive sporting success. His six titles with Ajax Amsterdam were exceptional," Leverkusen's Sporting Director Simon Rolfes said.
"With three league titles and two cup wins, he and Ajax dominated Dutch football undisputedly from 2018 to 2022. And with his subsequent successes with Manchester United, under sometimes difficult conditions, Erik has also proven his class as a coach.
"Our ideas about football coincide. With technically demanding and dominant football, we want to continue to operate in the Werkself style and strive for the highest goals in the Bundesliga, DFB Cup, and Champions League."
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Ten Hag said: "Bayer 04 is one of the best clubs in Germany and also belongs to the extended European elite. The club offers excellent conditions, and the discussions with the management have impressed me greatly.
"I came to Leverkusen to confirm the ambitions that have grown in recent years. It is an exciting task to build something together and develop an ambitious team in this phase of change."
Ten Hag has been out of football since he was sacked by the Red Devils back in October - when the club were 14th in the Premier League after nine rounds of matches.
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Leverkusen won their first ever Bundesliga title under Alonso in 2023/24, a season in which they also won the DFB-Pokal and reached the Europa League final.
It was against Atalanta in the Europa League final that saw Alonso's only loss of the entire season. Leverkusen finished second this season, with Bayern Munich reclaiming their crown.
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Alonso is expected to be announced by Real on Monday (May 26), after Carlo Ancelotti announced he was taking the Brazil job after stepping down in Spain.