How to correctly pronounce Erik ten Hag

Friday 22 April 2022 15:30

Erik ten Hag is currently the talk of football following the announcement that he will become the next permanent Manchester United manager from the end of this season.

The Dutchman is one of the most exciting and respected bosses in the game, after achieving success throughout his flourishing career with Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich II, Utrecht and, of course, the great AFC Ajax. 

At the Amsterdam Arena, the 52-year-old has overseen an eye-catching brand of football that has entertained supporters while also embedding the very best homegrown talent from their famous youth system. 

Most importantly, Ten Hag has helped Ajax to lift five trophies so far and he hopes to claim a third Eredivisie title in the coming weeks, with his side currently four points clear of PSV with five games to go. 

Since Erik’s appointment was officially announced on Thursday morning, everybody will have heard various pronunciations of his surname and we wanted to set the record straight.

So, we asked a Dutch colleague, MUTV presenter Pien Meulensteen, for the proper pronunciation, which you can hear in the video below…
Video
Watch as Pien Meulensteen explains how to correctly pronounce Erik ten Hag.
WHAT ERIK HAS SAID SO FAR 

In our club statement, Ten Hag looked forward to taking charge at the Theatre of Dreams: “It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead. I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.

“It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United.”

Ten Hag also speaks about the announcement in the statement released by Ajax, saying: “I'm happy that it has been finalised and that it has been officially announced. That clarity is important.

“But I only have one interest now and that's these last five games. I want to finish my time here on a positive note, by winning the league. By doing so, we'll qualify directly for the Champions League. Ajax belongs there.”
THE RANGNICK RECOMMENDATION

During his press conference at Carrington on Friday, Ralf praised the appointment of Erik: “We don't know each other in person, we haven't met in person yet. But, from what I have seen him doing, both at Bayern Munich when he was the Under-23 coach and at Ajax now, I like his football.

“I'm pretty positive with a full pre-season, with having the chance to build and mould his own staff, also a new team, which is obvious, we will have a new team, with a full pre-season, I am pretty sure that we will see a different team and improvement on the pitch.”

Continuing, Rangnick said: “I knew that Erik was one of the candidates the board spoke to. And obviously I told them, from what I had seen and known from people who had worked with Erik, that I think he would be a good choice. I still believe that he is a very good choice.”

Erik ten Hag appointed: