Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has agreed to a two-year deal to take over as head coach of Bayer Leverkusen, a German team, in place of Xabi Alonso.
This is Ten Hag’s first managerial position since leaving United in October. Ten Hag is 55.
Real Madrid, a Spanish powerhouse, officially announced Alonso as their new manager on Sunday.
After little over two years in charge at Old Trafford, Ten Hag won the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup before being fired when United was in 14th place in the Premier League.
The Dutch manager, joined Manchester United in 2022 after previously enjoying success with Ajax.
According to Bayer Leverkusen sporting director’s statement posted on the club’s website, “With Erik ten Hag, we have brought in an experienced coach with impressive success on the pitch.
“With three league titles and two domestic cup wins, he and Ajax dominated Dutch football from 2018 to 2022.
“And Erik demonstrated his quality as a coach with the ensuing success at Manchester United under difficult circumstances at times.”
The 2023–24 season saw Bayer Leverkusen win both the league and the cup under former Spanish manager, Alonso.
This season, they were 13 points behind champion Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, finishing in second place.
On July 1, Ten Hag, who will formally begin his new position, stated that Leverkusen 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.” He stated.