FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Europa League - Manchester United Training - Trafford Training Centre, Carrington, Britain - October 2, 2024 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag looks at his watch during training Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff/File Photo
(Reuters) - Factbox on Dutchman Erik ten Hag, who was sacked as Manchester United manager on Monday after 2-1/2 years in the job.
Born: Feb. 2, 1970, in Haaksbergen, Netherlands.
PLAYING CAREER
* Ten Hag began his career at Dutch side FC Twente, where he played primarily as a defender from 1989-1990.
* Had stints at Utrecht, De Graafschap and RKC Waalwijk before returning to Twente in 1996, where he finished his playing career in 2002.
* Ten Hag made over 300 league appearances in Dutch professional football.
COACHING CAREER
* Ten Hag started his coaching career in 2012 with Go Ahead Eagles, leading the team to promotion after 17 years outside the Eredivisie in his first season in charge.
* Joined Bayern Munich II in 2013, taking charge of their reserve team and working under the guidance of Pep Guardiola during the Spaniard’s time as Bayern head coach.
* Ten Hag returned to the Netherlands to manage FC Utrecht in 2015, guiding them to a fifth-place finish and a spot in the Europa League through the playoffs.
TEN HAG AT AJAX
* Was appointed Ajax manager in 2017. During his tenure, the club won three Eredivisie titles (2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22) and two KNVB Cups (2018-2019 and 2020-2021).
* Ten Hag gained widespread acclaim after guiding Ajax to the 2018–19 Champions League semi-finals, the club's first appearance at that stage since 1997, and beating defending champions Real Madrid 4-1 and Juventus 2-1 along the way.
* Ten Hag left Ajax after leading them to the 2022 KNVB Cup final in April.
* On April 21 that year Ten Hag was appointed Manchester United manager on a three-year contract.
* In his first season in charge he led United to a third-placed Premier League finish and League Cup triumph, ending the club's six-year trophy drought since a Europa League success in 2017 under Jose Mourinho.
* In the 2023-24 season United finished eighth in the league and won the FA Cup by beating Guardiola's Manchester City 2-1.
* Ten Hag's United tenure ended on Oct. 28 after a series of inconsistent performances left United languishing in 14th place in the Premier League with 11 points (W3 D2 L4) and without a win in their three Europa league games which they drew.
* The Dutchman's last match in charge was a 2-1 defeat at lowly West Ham United following earlier losses to Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
(Compiled by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
