Man United hero who rejected Erik ten Hag now set to beat him to role despite 34% win rate

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Erik ten Hag went head-to-head with a former Manchester United star for a managerial role in the Netherlands.

Manchester United sacked Erik ten Hag back in October, with Ruben Amorim arriving a few weeks later to take the Old Trafford hot seat.

The Dutchman is still yet to complete a return to management, despite several links to various jobs across Europe.

Ten Hag was spotted at Dortmund at a time when Nuri Sahin was under immense pressure. Ten Hag missed out on the Dortmund job eventually, and now he has set his sights on a return to Eredivisie.

Despite enjoying a very successful spell with Ajax, Ten Hag has been linked to Feyenoord – Ajax’s fierce league rivals.

Robin van Persie set to beat Erik ten Hag to Feyenoord job

One of Ten Hag’s competitors for the Feyenoord job is a former Manchester United hero.

Robin van Persie was approached by Feyenoord despite only having one year of managerial experience at Heerenveen.

Now, The Athletic report that Robin van Persie is on the brink of being appointed at Feyenoord ahead of Ten Hag.

Van Persie made his breakthrough as a player at Feyenoord after coming through their academy. He spent three years at the club between 2001 and 2004 and returned in 2018 before hanging up his boots.

In 2020, Van Persie joined Feyenoord as the assistant manager. He also spent time coaching Feyenoord’s Under-18s and Under-19s.

Robin van Persie’s managerial career so far

Van Persie spent three years with Feyenoord as a coach and assistant manager, with a specialised role working with the club’s strikers.

Feyenoord’s Under-18 won the 2023 Mladen Ramljak Memorial Tournament with Van Persie in charge, and it earned Van Persie his first senior managerial job at Heerenveen in 2024.

Van Persie was offered a coaching role at United by Ten Hag but he rejected the opportunity to pursue his own managerial career.

However, it did not get off to the best of starts with Van Persie suffering a 9-1 defeat to AZ Alkmaar back in September.

READ MORE: Manchester United icon Robin van Persie sparks debate with ‘different’ tactics in first manager role

Van Persie’s Heerenveen side currently sit ninth in the Eredivisie with 27 points in 23 games. Van Persie’s win rate as a manager is 34.6% with nine wins in 26 matches so far.

However, it seems he has done enough to push ahead of Ten Hag in the race for the Feyenoord job.