World Cup 2026: Ten Hag Distances Self From Replacing Koeman As Netherlands Coach

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has officially ruled himself out of the running to replace Ronald Koeman as the Netherlands head coach.

Ten Hag cited his complete commitment to his current two-year project as the technical director at FC Twente.

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Recall that Koeman recently resigned from his position following the Netherlands’ round-of-32 elimination at the 2026 World Cup.

While the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) identified Ten Hag as a top target, he expressed his desire to remain with Twente.

Ten Hag noted: “I am not available. I deliberately chose to take this step.

“I will be fully focused on this for at least the next two years. I am enjoying my time here and want to help the club move forward.”

Several candidates have been linked with becoming Koeman’s successor, with former Dutch stars Robin van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooy reportedly among the frontrunners.

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Louis van Gaal and Michael Reiziger, the manager of the Netherlands’ Under-21 side, are also of interest, along with Arne Slot, who was recently sacked by Liverpool.

Ten Hag was last in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, where he took charge of just two Bundesliga games before he was sacked despite seeing a squad overhaul in the summer.