Erik ten Hag reveals why he may NEVER return to management after Man United sacking having made shock career change

Erik ten Hag may never return to football management as he keeps his options open following his sacking by Manchester United. 

Ten Hag was dismissed by United earlier this season and replaced by Ruben Amorim, who has found life tough with the club struggling down in 15th in the Premier League.

The Dutchman has not taken on another job since his departure and he is not planning anything imminently, revealing that he has no idea if football management is in his future.

Since packing up his office at Old Trafford, Ten Hag has decided to stay closer to home when it came to keeping busy. 

‘There are so many other things I could do,’ Ten Hag said in a podcast appearance with SEG Stories. 

‘Maybe in football, in a new position as a manager. That’s an option. And maybe something completely different. 

He has admitted that he may not return to football management as he keeps his options open

‘I’ve been working with my brothers lately. We have our own company. Or rather: they have their own company. 

‘But we also run a company together with our father. That’s also something I love to do I can now give that more attention and it’s also a lot of fun.’

The Ten Hag family are among the most wealthy in the Netherlands due to their successful real estate company.

That was set up by Ten Hag’s dad, Hennie, back in 1967 and is still going strong. 

The family also owns several finance firms, with Ten Hag’s brothers Michel and Rico running them.

But since his exit from Manchester United, which came following defeat to West Ham, Ten Hag has been getting stuck in to help his dad and brothers. 

Ten Hag speaks fondly of his time at United throughout the podcast but does share interesting insight on what he has learned coaching young players.

There were times during his tenure at United where he was viewed by the dressing room as being too strict and a disciplinarian, something he tried to later address by becoming more personable.

The way Ten Hag deals with modern day players has also proven to be a steep learning curve

It’s a shift he has noted should he take another job in the dug-out.

‘This generation, for example, generally has a hard time dealing with criticism,’ he explained. 

‘Criticism really affects them. The generation I grew up in had much thicker skin. You could be much more direct. If I did that with my players, it would demotivate them.’

Ten Hag’s handling of players was a bone of contention for former United centre back Raphael Varane.

The Frenchman addressed his relationship with the Dutchman in a wide-ranging interview this month.

‘It’s hard to find the right words. It was very tense at times,’ Varane told The Athletic. 

‘Sometimes he made an effort to listen to the players’ feedback. 

‘Sometimes he made decisions without listening to the players’ feelings. So there were ups and downs. It was complicated at times.

Raphael Varane lifted the lid on his tense relationship with the Dutch manager in an interview

‘We had a robust discussion. We told each other some truths, but then I didn’t play for almost two months. I said I didn’t agree with certain ways of doing things regarding the relationship between him and the team. 

‘It wasn’t something that I thought was good for the team because some of the players weren’t at all satisfied. It was not good in terms of the relationship with the coach.

‘He said “Okay, I hear what you said” and after that I didn’t play.’