Erik ten Hag‘s competitive Manchester United tenure will commence this Sunday when Brighton & Hove Albion head to Old Trafford for our 2022-23 Premier League opener.
It has been three months since Ralf Rangnick’s lifeless Reds were hammered 4-0 by Graham Potter’s Seagulls in the penultimate game of last season.
But Brighton centre-back Adam Webster is expecting a completely different Manchester United with Ten Hag at the helm to the side that showed no fight at the Amex Stadium.
Prior to landing the United job, the two-time Eredivisie winner had spells in charge at Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern II, FC Utrecht and Ajax.
Following his move to Manchester, the 52-year-old could be reunited with some of his former players.
We take a look at three former players Erik ten Hag could come up against in the Premier League this season.
Former players Erik ten Hag could come up against in the Premier League
Joel Veltman – Brighton
Ten Hag’s first taste of Premier League action will seem him reunite with former Ajax defender Veltman.
After coming through the Ajax academy, Veltman departed the Amsterdam giants in July 2020 and headed for the Amex Stadium.
The 30-year-old played 57 times for Ten Hag during their time together at the Johan Cruyff Arena and they won two trophies.
Veltman, who has 28 caps for Netherlands to his name, will no doubt be trying to give Graham Potter as much information as possible about his former boss, ahead of facing Ten Hag’s United.
Brighton’s number 34 was part of the Ajax side, managed by Peter Bosz, that were beaten 2-0 by Manchester United in the 2017 Europa League final.
Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg – Tottenham Hotspur
When Pep Guardiola was in charge of Bayern Munich, Ten Hag was in charge of the Bavarian giants’ II side.
The Danish midfielder played 14 times under the Dutchman for Bayern’s reserve side, scoring four goals and they won the 2013-14 regional Bavarian league together.
After impressing under Ten Hag, Hojbjerg was promoted to Guardiola’s senior Bayern side, but he couldn’t establish himself as a regular under the Spaniard when competing for minutes in a star-studded Bayern side.
The all-action midfielder had loan spells with Augsburg and Schalke before joining Southampton in the summer of 2016 when Guardiola took over at Manchester City.
After four years at the St Mary’s Stadium, the Denmark international was brought to Spurs by Jose Mourinho. Since Antonio Conte took over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the 26-year-old has become a key part of the Italian’s side.
Hakim Ziyech – Chelsea
There is no guarantee that the Moroccan will still be at Stamford Bridge when the summer transfer window slams shut.
Despite signing him for £33.3m two years ago, Chelsea are willing to sell the 29-year-old for just £8m this summer, according to the Mail.
It was the talented left footer’s scintillating form under Ten Hag which saw him become one of the hottest properties in European football.
From 100 Ajax games under the tutelage of Ten Hag, Chelsea’s number 22 scored 35 goals and provided 53 assists. The African was a key part of the Ajax side that lifted the Eredivisie title in 2018-19 and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
While Ajax dig their heels in on selling Antony this summer, Ziyech could be a potential alternative to the Brazilian international.