MAN UNITED BOSS ERIK TEN HAG WILL MANAGE A DIFFERENT TEAM DURING THE INTERNATIONAL BREAK... AS HE GETS SOME TIME AWAY FROM THE RED DEVILS AFTER BACK-TO-BACK PREMIER LEAGUE DEFEATS

Erik ten Hag will return to a former side of his during the international break
Manchester United gave him approval to manage in a testimonial game
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Erik ten Hag will get a short break from Manchester United as he manages a different team during the international break.

The Dutchman, after keeping his job at the end of last season, has had a tough start to the new campaign with two defeats from their first three Premier League games.

A good chunk of his United players have gone away for the international break, which has also cleared some space in the diary for the Dutchman.

However, Ten Hag will keep himself busy as he returns to manage in the Netherlands at his former side FC Utrecht.

He has agreed to take charge of a team of former Utrecht players for a testimonial for the club's veteran defender Mark van der Maarel on Sunday.

It is a can't lose match for Utrecht as their team of former players will take on a side consisting of current players from the Eredivisie team.

Van der Maarel retired from football earlier this year after 16 years at Utrecht - playing under Ten Hag from 2015 to 2017.

During their time together they reached the KNVB Cup final and qualified for the Europa League.

The Mirror have reported that the 35-year-old asked Ten Hag to be a manager in the game as a favour - to which the United boss happily obliged after getting permission off his current club.

Ten Hag kept his job at United largely down to their FA Cup final triumph over local rivals Man City back in May.

This was despite finishing eighth in the Premier League and being knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage.

Pressure is already starting to pile up on Ten Hag after their 2-1 loss at Brighton was followed off by a poor 3-0 defeat to rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford.

But chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth, who both started work at the club in July, remain firmly behind the Dutchman.

Berrada said: 'Erik has our full backing and we have worked very closely together in this transfer window. We're going to continue working very closely with him to help him get the best results out of the team.

'In terms of the contract, that was a decision that was taken prior to both of our arrivals. But we're very happy with that decision.'

Berrada insisted that the support would remain even if United's poor start continues, adding: 'Absolutely. We think Erik is the right coach for us and we're fully backing him.'

2024-09-05T14:47:58Z dg43tfdfdgfd