Erik ten Hag has officially returned to his footballing roots, with FC Twente announcing his appointment as the club’s new technical director on a contract running until the summer of 2028. The 55-year-old will formally succeed the retiring Jan Streuer ahead of the 2026-27 season but will begin integrating into the club’s football operations starting February 1.
This move marks a strategic homecoming for the Dutchman, transitioning from the dugout to a leadership role at the club where his playing and coaching journey began.
The appointment follows a challenging period in ten Hag’s managerial career, which included a brief and difficult stint at Bayer Leverkusen where he was dismissed after just three competitive games in September 2025. This came after a two-year tenure at Manchester United, where he secured an FA Cup and a League Cup but was ultimately let go in 2024 following a string of poor results.
His return to Twente is widely seen as a reset, allowing him to leverage his extensive experience in a familiar environment. “I think it’s wonderful and special to return to FC Twente, where I’ve been a supporter at Het Diekman since I was a young boy,” ten Hag said in an official statement.
He emphasized his deep connection to the club, stating, “My football and coaching careers began here. With my experience in youth development, team building, and elite sports culture, I want to strengthen FC Twente’s technical foundation… so the club can sustainably realize its potential as a regional flagship”.
FC Twente’s leadership expressed strong confidence in the appointment, highlighting ten Hag’s unique blend of local affinity and high-level experience. General Manager Dominique Scholten pointed to ten Hag’s “incredible track record in football” and the enduring strength of his bond with the club.
“We’ve been in regular contact over the past few months, and our conversations quickly revealed a strong ambition to further develop FC Twente,” Scholten said, noting the alignment of this ambition with the club’s recently presented strategy. Ten Hag is no stranger to the technical director role, having previously served in a combined head coach and sporting director capacity at FC Utrecht from 2015 to 2017.
This career shift suggests a potential step back from frontline management for ten Hag, at least in the immediate future. After his abrupt exit from Leverkusen, he was linked with several managerial vacancies, including at Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers and a potential return to Ajax, which he reportedly turned down.
His attendance at a Twente match in October 2025, shortly after his dismissal from Leverkusen, fueled speculation about a return to Enschede. The new role represents a full-circle moment for a man who played over 200 matches for Twente across three spells, captaining the side to KNVB Cup glory in 2001, and later beginning his coaching career there as a youth and assistant coach.
As he prepares to shape the club’s future from the boardroom, the focus at the Grolsch Veste stadium will be on whether his vision can translate into sustained success for the Eredivisie side.