Erik ten Hag makes rare public appearance after Man Utd sacking | Football | Sport

Erik ten Hag has been spotted making a rare appearance in public just weeks after he was sacked by Manchester United.

United chiefs Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth informed Ten Hag on October 28 that his Old Trafford reign had been brought to an end after 28 months in charge, having won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup with the Red Devils.

The Dutchman travelled back to the Netherlands shortly after he was relieved of his duties on a private jet and has been enjoying his downtime away from the dugout.

And it seems the 54-year-old still holds an affection for at least two of his former clubs after checking in on Sunday to catch an Eredivisie match.

While United played Leicester on Sunday, Ten Hag turned up at the De Grosche Veste stadium to see both of his former flames in action, with FC Twente hosting Ajax.

He concluded his playing career with Twente in 2002 after making over 200 appearances before deciding to move into mangement. Ten Hag then went on to establish himself as one of the top managers in Europe after guiding Ajax to two league titles in his five-year reign.

The latter were sure to make his presence appreciated after posting an image of Ten Hag with a heart emoji on social media.

United poached the Dutchman in June 2022 and he finished third in his debut season at Old Trafford and won the Carabao Cup. But things quickly went downhill and they finished seventh in the 2023-24 campaign, as Ten Hag faced calls to be sacked.

The club’s hierarchy, led by INEOS CEO Sir Jim Ratciffe, opted to give him a chance to turn things around after they ended the season with a 2-1 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

But Ratcliffe and co. ran out of patience when Ten Hag oversaw the club’s worst start to a Premier League season. A 2-1 defeat to West Ham left them languishing in 14th in the Premier League.

It may take some time for those wounds to mend for Ten Hag, who was reportedly left ‘completely ruined’ by his departure.

Hans Kraay Jr, who played alongside Ten Hag at De Graafschap, told Dutch outlet SoccerNews that the former United boss was crestfallen following his exit: “Obviously, [he is] very disappointed and touched because he really cared for the club,” Kraay Jr said.

“I said also yesterday in the first conversation we had for me to come back to the club with him I really felt that he cared and loved the club and wanted to bring this club forward and that’s why we connected, and that’s why he’s also hurt that he had to leave but also proud of his achievements here with the two cups and obviously the history that he’s leaving with that.”