Ten Hag talks about his new role at Twente and his time at United

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag made statements about his career in the second part of his interview with The Athletic. Two years have passed since Ten Hag left United, and he is currently working as technical director of FC Twente in the Netherlands.

The interview took place after his working day at De Grolsch Veste, Twente's stadium, in Enschede. Ten Hag picked up the reporter from the train station in his own car. The conversation continued at the Ros van Twente hotel, which he co-owns with his brothers Michel and Rico. The hotel is run by John Berghaan and Anita Stappenbeld.

Ten Hag also described the explosion in 2000 that he experienced while a player at Twente. In the blast at the fireworks depot, 23 people died, 950 were injured and 400 homes were destroyed. The club's management wanted the last match of the season to be played away at Feyenoord the next day. After the match, Ten Hag criticized the management and said that the executives were angry with him because of it.

In January 2023, while looking for a striker to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, Ten Hag used his Dutch connections to sign Wout Weghorst on loan from Burnley. The Dutch coach believes that Weghorst's contribution in play without the ball was important in Marcus Rashford reaching 30 goals that season.