The latest Manchester United news as Erik ten Hag, who left Old Trafford back in October after a poor start to the season, makes his return to the game.
Comments
Sport
Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag delivers a press conference following his unveiling at Bayer Leverkusen
Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag delivers a press conference following his unveiling at Bayer Leverkusen
(Image: INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)
Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has returned to football management, seven months after leaving his role at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman has been confirmed as the new head coach of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. The role sees him replace Xabi Alonso, whose appointment at Real Madrid was confirmed last week.
Ten Hag left United in October after a poor start to the season. There was speculation over his future in the summer, but after winning the FA Cup at the end of the 2023/24 season, a one-year option in his deal at Old Trafford was activated.
Four wins, five draws and four defeats in the opening 13 games of the season in all competitions saw United to make the decision to part ways. Assistant manager Ruud van Nistelrooy was put in interim charge for four games, before Ruben Amorim took over as manager.
Ten Hag has now put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal with Leverkusen. The German club finished in second place in the Bundesliga this season, three points behind champions Bayern Munich.
It means that Ten Hag will be leading them in the Champions League next season. There is however expected to be a lot of transfer activity at the German club this summer.
Defender Jonathan Tah is set to join Bayern on a free transfer, while both Jeremie Fimpong and Florian Wirtz have been linked with a move to the Premier League with Liverpool.
During his time at United, the team often received criticism over the style of football that was played under Ten Hag, with Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher one pundit to regularly call out the tactics the team employed under the Dutchman.
Speaking following his announcement, though, Ten Hag explained his over-arching ambition, which speaks volumes about what he was trying to build during his time at United too.
"I want to win and in a certain way: with dominant, attractive football that excites people," Ten Hag said. "Together with the players, staff and, above all, the fans I would like to build and develop something here. Off the pitch and in the dressing room for me it's primarily about having a great team spirit."
Speaking about his return to the game following a brief break after his sacking at United, Ten Hag added: "I started as a coach straight after my career as a player and have done it non-stop for 22 years. The recent break did me good and gave me time to reflect.
"Therefore, I'm now full of energy and I want to settle in as soon as possible. The next days and weeks will obviously involve lots of discussions."
United, meanwhile, are expected to have a busy summer of their own with Amorim looking to reshape his squad to implement his favoured 3-4-2-1 system. A 2-0 win over Manchester United on the final day on Sunday saw United finish the season in 15th place in the Premier League table.
Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.