Bayer Leverkusen has appointed former Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag as Xabi Alonso’s replacement.
The Bundesliga club said Monday that the 55-year-old Ten Hag had signed a contract through 2027, making his return to coaching after he was fired by United in October.
He inherits a team that finished second in the Bundesliga and reached the German Cup semifinals this season. Leverkusen won both competitions under Alonso the year before and became the first unbeaten Bundesliga champion ever. Alonso left to take over as Real Madrid coach.
Ten Hag is “an experienced coach with impressive sporting successes,” Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said in a statement, adding that “Erik demonstrated his quality as a coach with the ensuing success at Manchester United under difficult circumstances at times.”
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Ten Hag won two domestic cups in his two and a half years in charge at United but was fired after the club’s worst start to a season, with four defeats in nine league games.
United’s subsequent troubles under Ten Hag’s successor Ruben Amorim helped restore its former coach’s reputation. Ten Hag was United’s fifth manager in nine years when he took over.
“I’ve come to Leverkusen to continue with the ambition shown in recent years. It’s an attractive challenge to set up something together in this period of change and develop an ambitious team,” Ten Hag said in a club statement.
He previously succeeded in bringing the good times back to Ajax, leading the biggest team in the Netherlands to three Eredivisie titles and the Champions League semifinals in entertaining style in 2019.
Ajax reportedly wanted to bring Ten Hag back as Francesco Farioli’s replacement after his team’s late-season meltdown allowed PSV Eindhoven clinch the Eredivisie title.
At Leverkusen, Ten Hag will be charged with maintaining the team’s upward trajectory under Alonso, though he will likely need to do it with a much-changed side.
Captain Jonathan Tah is leaving after not renewing his contract, star player Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong have been linked with Liverpool, and others have talked about leaving the club.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com