Who is new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag? Know about his playing days, managerial career, honours and style of play

Ten Hag’s teams are incredibly fluid in terms of player movement and positional play, as they change formation with and without possession.

Manchester United appointed Erik ten Hag as their manager in 2022 summer; Credit: Twitter@ManUtd
By Karthik Raman | Apr 21, 2022 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Manchester United fans got their wish granted when Erik ten Hag was named the club’s new permanent manager. At the end of the current season, the Dutchman will take over the role at Old Trafford when Ralf Rangnick’s time as interim manager comes to an end. Ever since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked by the Red Devils towards the end of last year, ten Hag has been the fan favourite. There have been many other managers linked with the job, but fans have been rooting for the 52-year-old Ajax boss. Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino was also reported to be in contention for the position, however, Manchester United has decided to go with ten Hag.

Playing career

Erik ten Hag was a ball-playing central defender, who spent most of his time playing with the Dutch club FC Twente. During his three stints with the club, he won the KNVB Cup in the 2000/01 season. Ten Hag has also played for De Graafschap, RKC Waalwijk and FC Utrecht. Besides, he won the Eerste Divisie with De Graafschap in the 1990/91 season. At the end of the 2001/02 Eredivisie season, ten Hag, while playing for FC Twente, retired from active playing when he was 32 years old.

READ MORE – Manchester United appoint Ajax coach as new permanent manager

Managerial career

Ten Hag got into management with second-tier Go Ahead Eagles in 2012. He spent only one season at Go Ahead Eagles and led the club to its first promotion in 17 years. He then took charge of Bayern Munich II, the reserve team of the German giants.

It was during his stay in Germany that ten Hag spent quality time with then Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola. Erik ten Hag has opened up in the past on how big an impact Guardiola has had on him during his stay with the German club. After two years, he returned to Eredivisie and joined FC Utrecht. He helped the team to a fourth-place finish in the 2016-17 season, thereby securing a spot in the Europa League qualifiers. However, his time with Ajax has helped him gain global attention.

ClubDurationMatchesWinDrawLoss
Go Ahead EaglesJuly 2012-June 201339181110
Bayern Munich IIJune 2013-May 201572481014
FC UtrechtMay 2015-December 2017111562629
AFC AjaxDecember 2017-May 20222151582829
Total4372807582

Erik ten Hag’s honours

After joining Ajax in December 2017, ten Hag needed little time to get the players used to his style of play. He helped the prestigious club become a force to reckon with in Europe again. During the 2018-19 season, fans and pundits began to take note of ten Hag’s work.

That season, he incredibly guided Ajax to the Champions League semifinal before losing to Tottenham Hotspur in a heart-breaking fashion. On the way to the last four, Ajax had beaten then defending champions Real Madrid in the last-16 and Juventus in the quarterfinals.

READ MORE – Red Devils need up to 10 new players for rebuild, warns Ralf Rangnick

In that same season, ten Hag had won the KNVB Cup and the Eredivisie titles. It was a feat, he repeated again in the 2020-21 season by winning the same two titles. Besides, the team also won the 2019 Johan Cruyff Shield under his management. Notably, he became the fastest manager in league history to reach 100 wins with Ajax. Ten Hag achieved the feat in 128 matches in January this year.

How does Erik ten Hag set his team?

What made ten Hag a fan-favourite choice for the Manchester United job is the attractive brand of football he plays with the Dutch giants. They play an attacking style of football, with the team impressively retaining the possession of the ball before putting it to good use through the fluid movement of their players. They are also a pressing machine, which makes it difficult for opponents to keep hold of the ball.

In the early years of his coaching days, ten Hag used to deploy a 4-4-2 diamond formation before gradually shifting to 4-3-3. His current side though has a formation similar to Manchester United’s set-up – 4-2-3-1 system. The team has played in this formation under Ralf Rangnick, Solskjaer and Jose Mourinho. However, ten Hag’s teams are incredibly fluid in terms of player movement and positional play, as they change formation with and without possession.