.jpg) Ten Hag as manager ofAjax in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Erik ten Hag | ||
| Date of birth | (1970-02-02)2 February 1970 (age 55) | ||
| Place of birth | Haaksbergen, Overijssel, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Centre-back[2] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1990 | Twente | 14 | (0) |
| 1990–1992 | De Graafschap | 54 | (6) |
| 1992–1994 | Twente | 45 | (2) |
| 1994–1995 | RKC Waalwijk | 31 | (2) |
| 1995–1996 | Utrecht | 30 | (2) |
| 1996–2002 | Twente | 162 | (3) |
| Total | 336 | (15) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2012–2013 | Go Ahead Eagles | ||
| 2013–2015 | Bayern Munich II | ||
| 2015–2017 | Utrecht | ||
| 2018–2022 | Ajax | ||
| 2022–2024 | Manchester United | ||
| 2025 | Bayer Leverkusen | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Erik ten Hag (Dutch:[tɛnˈɦɑx]ten HAKH; born 2 February 1970) is a Dutch professionalfootball manager and formerplayer who was most recently the head coach ofBundesliga clubBayer Leverkusen.
Ten Hag played as acentre-back and began his career withEredivisie clubTwente. He joinedDe Graafschap in 1990, and won theEerste Divisie in his first season. He rejoined Twente in 1992 and transferred toRKC Waalwijk two years later, where he remained for one season before signing withUtrecht in 1995. Ten Hag returned to Twente for a third time in 1996, where he wonKNVB Cup in 2001. He retired from playing in 2002 at age 32.
Ten Hag began his managerial career in 2012 atGo Ahead Eagles, where he led the club to promotion to the Eredivisie in his debut season. He then joinedBayern Munich II in 2013, winning promotion to theRegionalliga Bayern in 2014. He returned to the Netherlands in 2015 as head coach and sporting director atUtrecht. He joinedAjax in 2018, where he won three Eredivisie titles, two KNVB Cups, and led the team to the semi-finals of the2018–19 UEFA Champions League. In 2022, he was appointedmanager ofManchester United. During his tenure at the club, United won theEFL Cup andFA Cup in successive seasons, but failed to make significant progress in the Premier League or European competitions. He was dismissed in 2024 following a string of poor results. He was announced as Bayer Leverkusen's new head coach, ahead of the2025–26 season. He was sacked in September 2025 after having coached just three matches.
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Erik ten Hag was born on 2 February 1970 inHaaksbergen, Overijssel in the Netherlands.[3] Ten Hag played primarily as acentre-back forTwente,De Graafschap,RKC Waalwijk andUtrecht. He had three stints with Twente, and he captained the side to win theKNVB Cup in the2000–01 season.[4] He also won theEerste Divisie with De Graafschap in the1990–91 season, ten years before winning the cup with Twente. He retired from active playing in 2002 at the age of 32 while playing for Twente, after the end of the2001–02 Eredivisie season.[5]
Following his retirement, Ten Hag took on a coaching role at Twente's academy, initially overseeing the U17 team, followed by the U19 team until 2006, when he was promoted to assistant manager. He worked underFred Rutten and laterSteve McClaren until 2009. He then joinedPSV, working as an assistant under Rutten once more.[6]
It was announced on 18 April 2012 that Ten Hag would take over as manager of Eerste Divisie clubGo Ahead Eagles on a two-year contract, starting from the 2012–13 season.[7] During his only season at Go Ahead Eagles, he led the team to its first promotion in 17 years.[6]
Ten Hag was appointed asBayern Munich II manager on 27 June 2013 with a two-year contract.[8] He served until 2015, when he was replaced byHeiko Vogel.[9] During his time as manager, Ten Hag led his team to theRegionalliga Bayern title.[10]
Eredivisie club Utrecht announced on 22 April 2015 that Ten Hag would become the club's head coach and sporting director on a two-year contract starting from 1 July.[11] In his first season, he led the club to the2016 KNVB Cup final, losing 2–1 toGiovanni van Bronckhorst'sFeyenoord;[12] a league finish of fifth put them in the playoffs for aUEFA Europa League place, losing 3–1 on aggregate toHeracles Almelo.[13] The following season, a fourth-place finish put Utrecht in the playoffs again, where they secured a European place on penalties againstAZ.[14] Utrecht were sixth when Ten Hag left at the mid-point of the2017–18 Eredivisie season.[15]
On 28 December 2017, Ten Hag was appointed as the head coach ofAjax after the club dismissedMarcel Keizer, and commenced in the role on 1 January 2018 on a two-and-a-half year contract.[15] He signed a deal until June 2020. He arrived at a team that had already been eliminated from the domestic cup, as well as the qualifying rounds of the Champions League and Europa League.[16] His debut on 21 January 2018 was a 2–0 home win inDe Klassieker against Feyenoord.[17]
Ten Hag led the team to the semi-finals of the2018–19 UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1997, by winning against defending championsReal Madrid 4–1 in theSantiago Bernabéu at the round of 16 stage,[18] and also beatingJuventus away 1–2 having drawn the first leg 1–1 at home in the quarter-finals. In the first leg of the semi-final, he led his team to a 1–0 win againstTottenham Hotspur in the recently completedTottenham Hotspur Stadium.[19] However in the second leg, a second-half hat-trick byLucas Moura for Tottenham Hotspur, with the last goal being scored in the 96th minute to make it 3–2 (3–3 on aggregate) to win on away goals, eliminated Ajax.[20]
He won his first managerial trophy with Ajax on 5 May 2019, the2018–19 KNVB Cup, beatingWillem II in the final.[21] Ten days later, Ajax won theEredivisie as well, after a 1–4 away victory overDe Graafschap, completing adouble.[22] At the end of the season, Ten Hag signed a new contract until 2022.[23]
Ajax began their2019–20 season with a 2–0 victory overPSV in the2019 Johan Cruyff Shield. During the 2019–20Eredivisie season, Ajax won 14 and drew two of their first 16 matches. This was followed by successive defeats toWillem II and to AZ. Ajax's form following these defeats fluctuated, with the club going on to lose three further games in their next eight, as well as a second league defeat of the season to AZ. However, due to the emergence of the globalCOVID-19 pandemic, the Eredivisie season was null and voided, which meant that despite Ajax being top on goal difference to AZ, there wouldn't be an official winner of the 2019–20Eredivisie season. Ajax's European campaign was relatively less successful compared to the previous season, having finished third in their group in the 2019–20Champions League and being subsequently relegated to the UEFA Europa League. Ajax was resultantly knocked out byGetafe after a 3–2 aggregate loss in the Round of 32 of the2019–20 Europa League.
Ajax began the 2020–21 season by winning their first three games, before a 1–0 defeat atGroningen, which proved to be one of the two league defeats that Ten Hag's team sustained over the course of the season. On 24 October 2020, Ten Hag led Ajax to a historic13–0 victory overVVV-Venlo, breaking the Eredivisie record of the biggest recorded victory in the history of the competition. In theEuropa League, the team lost 3–2 on aggregate toRoma in the quarter-finals. On 18 April 2021, Ten Hag guided Ajax to their record-extending 20th KNVB Cup with a 2–1 win overVitesse in thefinal.[24] Two weeks later, Ten Hag extended his contract with Ajax through to the end of the 2022–23 season.[25]
Ajax began their 2021–22 campaign with a 4–0 defeat in theJohan Cruyff Shield to PSV, before going unbeaten for the first sevenleague games before a 1–0 home defeat toUtrecht. This proved to be one of Ajax' three league defeats over the season, as Ajax won the title, with results including 5–0 home win over PSV on 24 October 2021. Ajax won all six of their group matches in the2021–22 UEFA Champions League. On 16 January 2022, Ten Hag became the fastest manager in league history to reach 100 wins with Ajax, achieving the feat in 128 matches, when his side beat Utrecht 3–0 away on match day 19.[26]
Ajax were eventually knocked out byBenfica in the round of 16, while winning their third Eredivisie title in four years, after a 5–0 home victory overHeerenveen on 11 May 2022. Ten Hag's side also reached the2022 KNVB Cup Final, which ended in a 2–1 defeat to PSV.[27]
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On 21 April 2022, Ten Hag was appointed as manager ofManchester United starting from the end of the2021–22 season until June 2025, with the option of extending for a further year.[28]Mitchell van der Gaag andSteve McClaren joined Ten Hag as part of his coaching staff.[29] On 16 May, it was confirmed that Ten Hag had left his Ajax role early to begin his preparations as Manchester United manager for the 2022–23 season.[30]
Ten Hag lost his first Premier League match, 2–1 at home toBrighton & Hove Albion on 7 August.[31] Following a 4–0 defeat away toBrentford on 13 August in his second Premier League match,[32] Ten Hag became the first Manchester United manager sinceJohn Chapman in 1921 to lose his first two games in charge.[33] On 22 August, Ten Hag won his first competitive game as Manchester United manager when his side recorded a 2–1 victory againstarch-rivalsLiverpool atOld Trafford. This was United's first league win against Liverpool since March 2018.[34] On 11 January 2023, Ten Hag led Manchester United to a 3–0 win overCharlton Athletic in theEFL Cup,[35] and in doing so became the fastest Manchester United manager to reach 20 competitive wins, achieving the feat in 27 games.[36] On 26 February, Ten Hag's side beatNewcastle United 2–0 to win theEFL Cup, claiming their first trophy since 2017.[citation needed] However, in their first league game after lifting the trophy, Ten Hag's side lost a record 7–0 atAnfield, home of their rivals Liverpool. It was the heaviest defeat in the history of that fixture, as well as United's joint-heaviest defeat ever, and the first time they had conceded seven goals since 1931.[37]
In his first season at the club, Ten Hag also led Manchester United to a place in the2023–24 UEFA Champions League, by finishing third place in the top four of the Premier League, and also got to the2023 FA Cup final, eventually losing to local rivalsManchester City, with a scoreline of 2–1.[38]
Manchester United began the 2023–24 season with a 1–0 win in the Premier League overWolverhampton Wanderers on 14 August.[39] On 1 November, Manchester United exited theEFL Cup in the fourth round with a 3–0 loss at home toNewcastle United, who they beat in the final the season prior.[40] Ten Hag was awardedPremier League Manager of the Month for November.[41] On 12 December, Manchester United exited theChampions League after losing 1–0 toBayern Munich, finishing bottom oftheir group with 4 points assuring no European football for the rest of the season.[42] Manchester United ended thePremier League season with a 2–0 win against Brighton to finish in eighth place with 60 points, their lowest position in the top flight since the 1989–90 season.[43][44]
On 25 May 2024, Manchester United won theFA Cup final against Manchester City, earning Ten Hag a second major trophy with the club and securing a spot in the2024–25 UEFA Europa League.[45]
On 4 July 2024, Manchester United triggered a one-year extension to Ten Hag's contract to keep him with the club until 2026.[46] Former Manchester United strikerRuud van Nistelrooy andRené Hake joined as assistant managers as a replacement forMitchell van der Gaag, who left his role.[47] CoachSteve McClaren also resigned from his role at United to take on the manager position forJamaica.[48]
Manchester United started the 2024–25 season by playing against Manchester City in the2024 FA Community Shield. The game ended in a 1–1 draw, and United lost 7–6 on penalties.[49] On 6 October 2024, after failing to beatPorto in the Europa League andAston Villa in the Premier League in the same week, and with United 14th in the league table with eight points from seven games – the club's worst start in the league since1989–90 – the BBC asked if the team's poor performances warranted Ten Hag's dismissal.[50]
On 28 October 2024, Ten Hag was dismissed from his role as head coach at Manchester United. This came after a string of poor results, having drawn away againstFenerbahçe in the Europa League and having lost 2–1 away in the league againstWest Ham United, through a controversial penalty which was converted byJarrod Bowen in added time. These results left Manchester United in 14th place in the Premier League with 11 points from nine games, and with three points from three games in the Europa League. Assistant manager Ruud van Nistelrooy succeeded Ten Hag as interim manager.[51][52][53] On 1 November, Manchester United announced the appointment ofRuben Amorim as a permanent replacement, and that he would begin his tenure at the club on 11 November.[54][55]
On 26 May 2025, Ten Hag was appointed head coach ofBundesliga clubBayer Leverkusen, signing a contract through 2027 and starting his job at the club from 1 July, succeedingXabi Alonso.[56][57]
Ten Hag's short tenure at the club would quickly turn ugly. A report by German outletBILD alleged that Ten Hag employed unusual tactics such as prioritizing push-ups over running and passing while repeatedly clashing with upper management over player transfers by only suggesting players from Ten Hag's own agency, SEG. He failed to connect with anyone at the club and his actions alienated virtually the entire club and "turned all departments, bodies, and players against him". This was further evident after Leverkusen lost its home opener 2-1 againstHoffenheim in which Ten Hag did not give a pre-match speech, much to the surprise of his players. The next game would prove to be the boiling point in which Leverkusen drew 3-3 despite initially having a 3-1 lead againstWerder Bremen.[58]
This culminated into Leverkusen sacking Ten Hag's on 1 September 2025, after two Bundesliga games and three total competitive games in charge, setting a new record for the fewest league matches in charge before being dismissed in Germany.[59][60]Kasper Hjulmand was brought in as his replacement on 8 September.
Ten Hag and his wife, Bianca, have two daughters and a son.[61]
| Club | Season | League | KNVB Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Twente | 1989–90[62] | Eredivisie | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |
| De Graafschap | 1990–91[63] | Eerste Divisie | 37 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 5 | ||
| 1991–92[64] | Eredivisie | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 | |||
| Total | 54 | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 56 | 6 | ||||
| Twente | 1992–93[65] | Eredivisie | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 1 | ||
| 1993–94[66] | Eredivisie | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| Total | 45 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 49 | 2 | |||
| RKC Waalwijk | 1994–95[67] | Eredivisie | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 2 | ||
| Utrecht | 1995–96[68] | Eredivisie | 30 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 2 | ||
| Twente | 1996–97[69] | Eredivisie | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 | ||
| 1997–98[70] | Eredivisie | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5[a] | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99[71] | Eredivisie | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | — | 37 | 0 | ||
| 1999–2000[72] | Eredivisie | 30 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 2 | |||
| 2000–01[73] | Eredivisie | 28 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 36 | 1 | |||
| 2001–02[74] | Eredivisie | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| Total | 162 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 197 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 336 | 15 | 34 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 383 | 16 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Go Ahead Eagles | 1 July 2012 | 27 June 2013 | 39 | 18 | 11 | 10 | 046.15 | [75] |
| Bayern Munich II | 27 June 2013 | 30 June 2015 | 72 | 48 | 10 | 14 | 066.67 | [76] |
| Utrecht | 1 July 2015 | 28 December 2017 | 111 | 56 | 26 | 29 | 050.45 | [77] |
| Ajax | 1 January 2018 | 16 May 2022 | 215 | 158 | 28 | 29 | 073.49 | [78] |
| Manchester United | 23 May 2022 | 28 October 2024 | 128 | 70 | 23 | 35 | 054.69 | [79] |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 1 July 2025 | 1 September 2025 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 033.33 | [80] |
| Total | 568 | 351 | 99 | 118 | 061.80 | |||
De Graafschap
Twente
Bayern Munich II
Utrecht
Ajax
Manchester United
Individual
