Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has had a lot to say recently in the Netherlands.
A year ago Erik ten Hag was looking to bounce back from his Manchester United sacking with a new role at German club Bayer Leverkusen.
A disastrous start in Germany saw Ten Hag fired just one month into the season.
This combined with his Manchester United sacking in 2024 has been damaging to his reputation, and he has taken a step back from management.
He is now working as technical director for FC Twente, where he has the power to decide whether to hire or fire their manager.
This is not on his mind right now, the former United boss is focusing on transfers, something he frequently got wrong at Old Trafford.
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Ten Hag on Wout Weghorst
Erik ten Hag has declared interest in re-signing one former Manchester United player for FC Twente. We should not be surprised, because prior relationships were key to his strategies at Old Trafford.
Quoted via Dutch outlet Tubantia, Ten Hag revealed his interest in Ajax striker and former United loanee Wout Weghorst.
“At Twente, we are naturally always interested in Wout Weghorst. He is a boy with true Twente roots. We are incredibly proud of everything Wout has achieved.”
“I have known Wout and the Weghorst family for a very long time. Back then, Wout was just a little boy playing for NEO. Of course, I would love to have him on the team. Who wouldn’t want a striker like Wout Weghorst?”
Weghorst scored two goals for Manchester United during his loan spell, contributing towards the Carabao Cup Final win in 2023.
Ten Hag admitted that at present Weghorst’s full focus will be on the Netherlands: “Wout is focusing on the World Cup right now. He wants to become world champion.”
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Erik ten Hag on Frenkie de Jong
Erik ten Hag was keen for Frenkie de Jong to be the cornerstone of his Manchester United project back in 2022.
United successfully negotiated a fee with Barcelona, but De Jong did not want to leave and still remains with the La Liga side.
Ten Hag’s admiration for his former Ajax player has never gone away. He was in awe of his performance for the Netherlands.
Quoted via Ajax1, he praised De Jong’s positional versatility, commenting: “He is one of the best in the world at that.
“In addition, he is also incredibly important in the so-called defensive positioning and the transition to defending, because he can really close down spaces.
“Not only that, usually he is also just positioned very well. He is simply incredibly good at scanning.”
On the Netherlands international job
As a guest on Dutch show World Cup Evening, Erik ten Hag was quizzed about potentially coaching the Netherlands international team in the future.
He was clear to point out this is not a priority for him, but he might be interested in the future.
“I’m not going to elaborate on my contract here. I signed with FC Twente for two years, so I’ll be there for the next two years. The KNVB doesn’t need to call.”
Beyond that he added, quoted via FC Update: “I actually quite aspire to that. It has come up before, but that wasn’t with the KNVB. If you get the chance to experience that, you would love to do it.”
Ten Hag revealed he had been approached by other unnamed nations, adding: “They have been several countries, both within and outside Europe.”
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