Charlie Wood
Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been appointed as the new head coach of German side Bayer Leverkusen.
The Dutchman has signed a two-year contract set to begin on July 1, succeeding Xabi Alonso, who has joined Spanish giants Real Madrid.
In the 2023/24 season, Alonso took Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, with an impressive unbeaten domestic season that halted Bayern Munich’s vice-like grip over the division.
Ten Hag will have big shoes to fill but has familiarity with managing clubs with expectant fanbases.
Under Ten Hag, Ajax won three Eredivisie titles and reached a Champions League semi-final. Meanwhile at Manchester United, despite relatively poor league form, Ten Hag won both the League Cup and FA Cup.
“An attractive challenge”
Speaking about his new role, the 55-year-old said: “[They are] one of the best clubs in Germany and also among the top clubs in Europe.”
“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 will look to join a long list of ex-Manchester United players and managers who have rejuvenated their careers away from the toxic and pressurised environment at Old Trafford.
One standout player is the often-scapegoated Scott McTominay, who won the Serie A Player of the Season after scoring 12 goals and helping Napoli secure their fourth Scudetto.
The Scotsman struggled at Manchester United when pushed into a midfield role that did not suit his play style.
At Napoli, under Antonio Conte, the £25 million signing has become an unlikely Napoli hero through his goalscoring, defensive prowess, and intense work rate, filling the void of recently departed Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Elsewhere, Antony has looked a different player since joining Real Betis on loan.
The attacker was open regarding his struggles at Manchester United, he said: “It was a moment when I thought about stopping playing. I no longer felt the desire to play football because of everything I was going through.”
Although falling at the final hurdle to Chelsea, Antony was instrumental to the side’s Europa Conference League ambitions, netting four goals en route to the final.
In the Premier League, Anthony Elanga and Marcus Rashford have been pivotal to their respective team’s playing styles.
Elanga’s pace facilitated Nuno Espirito Santos’ counter-attacking play style at Nottingham Forest.
Rashford played a key role in Aston Villa’s strong finish to the campaign, especially shining in Europe.
Likewise, Dean Henderson pushed Crystal Palace to their first taste of silverware after saving a penalty in the FA Cup Final.
These success stories are alongside Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Matteo Darmian, who will look to win Inter Milan’s first Champions League since 2010 on Saturday against Paris St. Germain.
As Ten Hag prepares for his next chapter in Germany, he will be eager to erase any memories of inconsistent league form at United, and like many before him reignite his career, away from the so-called ‘Old Trafford graveyard.’
Charlie Wood
Featured image courtesy of Scott Graham via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @bayer04fussball via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @scottmctominay via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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