Erik: 'It's not nice to hurt something that you love'

The Dutchman started his professional playing career within the Enschede club's youth system, and Erik has also been a fan of FC Twente since he was a young boy.

On Tuesday at Carrington, the United boss sat down to face the media ahead of the first of eight Europa League games for the Reds, in a new-look 32-team league phase.

And the first question from the floor went straight to the heart of Ten Hag's relationship with the club where he spent three spells as a footballer, before furthering his post-playing ambitions with stints as a youth coach and an assistant manager.

"Twente's brought me a lot," admitted Erik.

"I was put through their academy. I was part of the generation of the first youth team, when the youth competition was started up again after many years. So, for me, there's a great deal of history there, at the Diekman Stadium and now the Grolsch Veste Stadium.

"Of all the teams, Twente is the team that I follow the most."

United have never played Twente before in a competitive game, but Ten Hag has been paying close attention to the team, if only for fun.

Asked how he finds the time, given the amount of preparation required for each of United's fixtures, Ten Hag said he had found a method of watching the Enschede club in a purer, less critical way.

"I watch them as a fan," he explained. "As a supporter, not as an analyst. It's a different way of watching their games.

"There's a great deal of connections to and fro between MUFC and FC Twente, between me and Rene Hake, me and Ruud [van Nistelrooy]," he continued, giving some indication as to the many conversations about players that have been taking place at Carrington since the draw.

"[There are] also connections forged through the various Ajax players we've all been involved with.

"I would have preferred to have played against somebody else. It's not nice to have to hurt something you love."