Former Ajax and Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been announced as the new technical director of Dutch Eredivisie side FC Twente, Afrosport reports.
Ten Hag had been unemployed since his dismissal just four matches into his role as Bayer Leverkusen manager in September. Although he was the top choice to replace John Heitinga at Ajax, Ten Hag opted not to accept the position.
At FC Twente, Ten Hag will succeed 77-year-old Jan Streuer, who is set to retire at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. He will engage in the club’s football operations prior to officially assuming the role of technical director on July 1, 2026.
Having grown up in Haaksbergen, a town adjacent to FC Twente’s home city of Enschede, Ten Hag returns to the club where he played for 13 seasons as a youth player and served three seasons as an assistant manager.
“I think it’s wonderful and special to return to FC Twente, where I have been a supporter since I was a child and used to visit Het Diekman (Twente’s former stadium). My football and coaching career began here,”ย Ten Hag said on the club website.
“With my experience in youth development, team building and top-level sport culture, I want to work with the Supervisory Board, management and staff to strengthen FC Twente’s technical foundation, so that the club can sustainably realise its potential as a regional flagship.”
๐ดโฝ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ค ๐ญ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ข๐ณ๐จ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ก ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ๐
Erik ten Hag treedt per 1 februari in dienst van FC Twente en is met ingang van het seizoen 2026-2027 de technisch directeur.
โก๏ธ https://t.co/rjIPcEx46Kโฆ pic.twitter.com/TYQI7YDSch
โ FC Twente (@fctwente) January 6, 2026
Twente are currently seventh in the Eredivisie which is a qualification spot for the UEFA Conference League. They are however five points behind third-placed Ajax in the race for UEFA Champions League football.
