Erik Ten Hag is facing an uncertain future at Manchester United, especially with the new owners giving him an unrealistic target of still making it to the Champions League if he wants to keep his job beyond this season. This seems almost impossible, considering the Reds are eight points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa with just ten games left to play in the Premier League this season.
Ten Hag will be wondering how United got here in the first place. The Red Devils finished third last season and won the Carabao Cup in what proved to be a great first season for the Dutchman. However, with his future pretty much in the air, a return to his homeland has been mooted as he seeks redemption for himself away from the glitz of Manchester United.
Is Erik Ten Hag going back to Ajax?
Erik Ten Hag’s appointment as Manchester United’s manager in 2022 was met with much fanfare and excitement. He was the man who led Ajax to the semi-finals of the 2019 UEFA Champions League, defeating Juventus and Real Madrid. He also won back-to-back league titles with the Dutch club, but his strengths extended beyond the trophies he had won with Ajax.
During his tenure at the club, Erik Ten Hag inspired Ajax to play free-flowing, attacking football. With a team boasting the perfect balance of young and experienced players, they were almost unstoppable. He aimed to replicate such a level of play at Old Trafford, and he did achieve some results after his turbulent start at the Manchester club.
Sadly, only two years into his reign, fans are already calling for him to be sacked. United looks mostly clueless this season, without any particular playing style. They’ve only scored more goals than five Premier League clubs this season, including two in the bottom half. Luton Town has scored more goals than the Reds, leading to speculations that Ten Hag might be shown the door at the end of the season.
Fortunately, he won’t have a shortage of offers on his table, as Ajax are already considering bringing him back to the club after a tough season in the Eredivisie. It would be a perfect reunion for both parties, as the club could use Ten Hag’s presence to work its way back to the summit of Dutch football again after a disappointing campaign this season.
How is Ten Hag’s Ajax record?
While Erik Ten Hag may not have had much luck in his second season at Manchester United, there’s no denying how good a manager he is and how highly he’s regarded by the global soccer community. After all, he was the man who almost achieved a treble with Ajax in 2019, causing all sorts of upsets against the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus.
Erik Ten Hag has three league titles to his name, all won during his time at Ajax. His first one was in the 18-19 season, the same season he led Ajax to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, losing to Tottenham Hotspur on aggregate in the second leg of the tie. He also won two consecutive league titles in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons before leaving the club as a champion to join Manchester United that summer.
He also has two KNVP Cups to his name. Erik Ten Hag maintained a 73.49% win percentage at Ajax in his five seasons at the club, winning 158 of the 215 games he oversaw. He only lost 29 times during his five-season tenure at the Dutch club.
