Erik ten Hag has no regrets over joining Manchester United rather than waiting for City

Pep Guardiola suggested in April that Ten Hag could have become his successor

Mark Critchley
Northern Football Correspondent
Friday 30 September 2022 14:31 BST
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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag (Manchester United via Getty Images)

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Erik ten Hag has no regrets over joining Manchester United, despite Pep Guardiola’s belief that he could have been an ideal successor to him at Manchester City.

Ten Hag worked under Guardiola during his time in charge of Bayern Munich II, learning from the future City manager at an early stage of his own coaching career.

The pair know each other's game well and upon Ten Hag's appointment at Old Trafford, Guardiola suggested that had he not joined United, he could one day replace him at the Etihad.

"There are a lot that could be here - and I think he could be one of the ones. For the way he approach the game, definitely," the City manager said.

Ten Hag appreciated his former colleague's comments but insisted that he does not regret choosing United.

"It's a nice compliment, first, but I'm 100 per cent convinced I choose Man United with everything in it and I didn't regret it for one second," Ten Hag insisted.

Ten Hag added that Guardiola had an influence on the early part of his career but that he has made sure to stay true to his own principles.

"First of all, it's most important no person is the same, so I have to stick by myself. Then I learn a lot from many human beings in football, especially from top coaches.

"And I admire Pep Guardiola a lot because he's not only successful, he's doing it in a certain way that really attracts people to football and that is a reward."

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