Who is Erik ten Hag? Key Facts and Highlights from the Life of the Dutch Coach

After two and a half years with Manchester United, Dutch football manager Erik ten Hag, who was renowned for his leadership and tactical skills, left the position on October 28, 2024. Ten Hag was brought in to turn around the team's fortunes after Ralf Rangnick was fired after the 2021–2022 Premier League season. Ten Hag was appointed in April 2022.

Ten Hag led Manchester United to a third-place finish and qualified for the UEFA Champions League in his promising debut season at Old Trafford. United also won the EFL Cup during his leadership, snapping a six-year trophy drought. United finished second in the 2023 FA Cup final during his reign, demonstrating his capacity to have an immediate impact on English football. His second season was more difficult, though, as United finished seventh in the Premier League in 2023–2024—the lowest the team has ever finished. Nevertheless, he was able to defeat rivals Manchester City 2-1 and win the FA Cup, a first for the club.

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After a 13-year playing career that includes three stints with Dutch club FC Twente, when he retired in 2002, Ten Hag started his path to top-tier management. In his first season as manager, he guided the Go Ahead Eagles to their first promotion in 17 years in 2012. Bayern Munich quickly saw his skills and hired him to lead the team's reserve squad in 2013, where he developed his tactical expertise in one of the most competitive settings in Europe.

Ten Hag returned to the Netherlands in 2015 to take over as head coach and sports director of FC Utrecht, where he had a big influence and won the coveted Manager of the Year title in 2016. Halfway through the 2017–18 season, Ten Hag took over at Ajax the following year. His greatest accomplishment as a manager was leading Ajax to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals and winning both the league and the cup in the 2018–19 campaign.

In just 128 games, Ten Hag became the fastest manager to gain 100 league victories with Ajax by January 2022. Ten Hag, who left Ajax as one of the most renowned coaches in European football before joining Manchester United, was renowned for his painstaking attention to detail, tactical adaptability, and capacity to nurture new talent.