Erik ten Hag has been appointed as FC Twente’s next technical director, returning to his boyhood club after managerial spells at Ajax, Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen.
Former Ajax and Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been unveiled as the new technical director of Eredivisie side FC Twente, marking a return to the club where his football journey began.
Ten Hag has been without a role since his brief stint at Bayer Leverkusen ended in September, just four matches into the season. Although he was strongly linked with a return to Ajax as a successor to John Heitinga, the Dutchman ultimately turned down that opportunity.
At FC Twente, Ten Hag will succeed long-serving technical director Jan Streuer, who is set to retire at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. The 56-year-old will begin contributing to the club’s football operations immediately, before officially taking over the technical director role on July 1, 2026.
The appointment carries deep personal significance for Ten Hag, who grew up in Haaksbergen near Enschede and spent 13 years at FC Twente as a youth and senior player, as well as three seasons as an assistant coach.
“It’s wonderful and special to return to FC Twente,” Ten Hag said on the club’s website. “I’ve supported this club since childhood, and my football and coaching career started here. I want to help strengthen the club’s technical foundation so FC Twente can sustainably realise its potential.”
Ten Hag’s managerial career began at Go Ahead Eagles before he moved to Germany to coach Bayern Munich’s reserve side. He later returned to the Netherlands with FC Utrecht and enjoyed his most successful spell at Ajax, winning three Eredivisie titles, two KNVB Cups, and reaching the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
After lifting both the League Cup and FA Cup during his time at Manchester United, Ten Hag now turns his focus to long-term club building. FC Twente general manager Dominique Scholten praised his appointment, highlighting Ten Hag’s experience, ambition and enduring connection to the club as Twente look to push beyond their current seventh-place standing and return to European competition.
