Erik ten Hag experiences set-back to re-joining former club

It’s been just over a year since Manchester United decided to cut ties with Erik ten Hag, sacking their then-manager, and replacing him with Ruben Amorim.

Whilst the Dutchman helped United secure two trophies in his two-year stint, winning the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, he also led them to the club’s worst Premier League finish at that time, ending the 23/24 season in eighth.

In starting the 2024/25 season, ten Hag set up the club’s worse Premier League campaign on record, seeing the Red Devils fall out of Europe as Amorim couldn’t turn things around mid-season.

However, ten Hag’s return to management after leaving Old Trafford was even less successful.

The Dutch manager has officially gone down in history as Bayer Leverkusen’s shortest-lived manager after being sacked only two games into the job.

Now, whilst the former United boss isn’t pushing to get stuck into another club, talks have emerged of him returning to Ajax.

The Eredivisie side have recently fired manager John Heitinga, with Ajax technical director and long-term friend of Erik ten Hag, Alex Kroes, holding a meeting with Amorim’s predecessor, adding fuel to the fire of a potential return.

When Erik ten Hag was first at Ajax, between 2018 and 2022, he enjoyed an extremely positive relationship with the technical director Marc Overmars, with their connection being a factor of the club’s success.

As such, it was believed that a similar bond could be formed between ten Hag and Kroes, however, a spanner to that incentive to return has now been thrown in the works.

Dutch publication AD has now reported that Kroes has left his role as Ajax’s technical director, announcing his departure as something he had to do.

Whilst Kroes isn’t rushing to the door, staying in post until Heitinga’s replacement is found, his departure will certainly be a factor for ten Hag to consider in the mix of potentially returning.

Reports had surfaced during his time at Leverkusen that he wasn’t happy with the club executives taking a lead on recruitment over him, wanting to avoid his failed transfer campaigns from his time at United, with mega-money transfers for the likes of Antony and Jadon Sancho only to end in failure.

As such, the Dutchman would now face joining Ajax as they look for a new technical director who might not share the same vision as him as opposed to him working alongside a long-term friend.