Erik ten Hag says Man Utd's data offer to INEOS and a 2-2 Sevilla draw defined his reign
Two years after leaving Manchester United, Erik ten Hag has opened up on his Old Trafford tenure, revealing his offer to INEOS over data, why the April 2023 Sevilla draw was a turning point, and how a punishing pre-season left his squad "totally killed".
- Speaker: Erik ten Hag, former Manchester United manager, now technical director at FC Twente
- Key claim: The 2-2 first-leg draw with Sevilla in April 2023 was the moment his reign changed
- Pre-season: United flew 13,650 miles across the United States before the 2023-24 season
- Mainoo: Ten Hag says Kobbie Mainoo is "for me, special"
- Ronaldo replacement: Wout Weghorst was loaned from Burnley in January 2023
The interview took place in Enschede, in the east of the Netherlands, where Ten Hag now works at FC Twente's De Grolsch Veste stadium. He picked the reporter up from the station in a silver Range Rover and drove through the Dutch countryside to Ros van Twente, the hotel he co-owns with his brothers Michel and Rico, and with John Berghaan and Anita Stappenbeld, who run it.
Two years on from the end of his time in charge of Manchester United, Ten Hag was in a relaxed mood as a 1980s playlist played in the car. He discussed the history of the area, including its wartime past, and a devastating event in 2000 when a fireworks depot supplying pop concerts exploded in Enschede, killing 23 people, including four firefighters, injuring 950 and destroying 400 homes.
What was said
"The leadership of the club were mad at me, but they had made the decision to play. Everyone is agreeing now: you can't play football when your city is burning."
"The team was not consistent. On our good day we could match the best teams in the league, in the world, I would even say. On the worst day, we sat below the bottom."
"The tour was so much expectation on the players. We got exhausted from all the kilometres. We started in New York, we played in Houston, we played in Vegas, went back, we gave them a couple of days off, and then we didn't train proper tactical and physical work for 10 days because they were totally killed… We were never fit."
"Kobbie is, for me, special. A lot of people were building him, supporting him. But in the end, he's doing it by himself."
"Sometimes he's getting emotional, but he's a winner."
Ten Hag's reflections are strikingly candid for a manager who often presented a controlled front at Old Trafford. The Sevilla draw, he argues, exposed how dependent his side were on two players: Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes. He also defends his captain, describing Fernandes as a top professional who always gives his best.
The numbers
- 7-0: United's defeat at Anfield, the Premier League game after winning the League Cup
- 13,650 miles: distance flown across the Atlantic during pre-season before 2023-24
- 27 home wins: United's total for the season, equalling a club record
- 13 centre-back combinations: used by Ten Hag in one season
- 29: number of times he changed his back four
- 5-2: aggregate score by which Sevilla knocked United out of the Europa League
- 30 goals: Marcus Rashford's tally in 2022-23
Why the Sevilla draw changed everything
Ten Hag pinpoints the Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla in April 2023 as the pivotal moment. United were 2-0 up in the first leg when he substituted Bruno Fernandes with 30 minutes remaining, and then Lisandro Martinez broke his foot. "The team couldn't play without two players," he says. United lost the tie 5-2 on aggregate.
The dependence was structural. Martinez was central to playing out from the back and winning duels; Fernandes was the engine. Remove both and United's shape collapsed. That fragility recurred throughout his reign, with injuries forcing 13 different centre-back combinations and 29 changes to the back four. "It's almost impossible to get automatism in," Ten Hag admits.
His use of Wout Weghorst, borrowed from Burnley in January 2023 to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, illustrates his pragmatic streak. Weghorst's work off the ball, Ten Hag argues, helped Marcus Rashford reach 30 goals. The Dutchman even deployed Weghorst as a No 10 at the Camp Nou, where Rashford scored in a 2-2 draw against Barcelona, before United won the home leg 2-1.
Mainoo, data and the pre-season problem
Ten Hag first noticed Kobbie Mainoo in July 2022 playing for the second team. "He was too easy," he recalls. "We started to bring him in drills where we challenged him on dynamics." Mainoo has since praised those sessions with Ten Hag and assistant Mitchell van der Gaag as among the best of his career.
The pre-season before 2023-24, with flights to New Jersey, San Diego, Houston and Las Vegas, left players exhausted. "We were never fit," Ten Hag says. Mainoo suffered an ankle injury against Real Madrid in Texas, then returned to be named man of the match on his first Premier League start at Everton in a 3-0 win.
Talking points
- Ten Hag's claim that United "could match the best teams" on their day is undermined by the 7-0 at Anfield and the collapse against Sevilla.
- His decision to substitute Fernandes at 2-0 against Sevilla remains the most consequential call of his reign.
- Was the commercial pre-season schedule, with 13,650 miles flown, a boardroom failure rather than a coaching one?
- Ten Hag's handling of Mainoo looks like his clearest legacy — but was it luck or judgement?
What happens next
Ten Hag continues in his role as technical director at FC Twente, while United, now under different leadership, face the task of building a squad less dependent on two individuals. The interview will intensify debate about how much control managers truly have over pre-season planning and recruitment.
Frequently asked questions
What did Erik ten Hag say about Kobbie Mainoo?
He called Mainoo "special" and said that while many people supported him, "in the end, he's doing it by himself".
Why does Ten Hag blame the Sevilla draw?
He says United were 2-0 up when he substituted Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez broke his foot, after which "the team couldn't play without two players".
How far did Man Utd fly in pre-season before 2023-24?
United flew 13,650 miles across the Atlantic, visiting New Jersey, San Diego, Houston and Las Vegas, which Ten Hag says left players "totally killed".
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