Europa League: Ten Hag explains reason he would have prefer to play another club instead of Twente

Manchester United will be back in action tonight in the UEFA Europa League when they host their opening match against Dutch side Twente at Old Trafford.

Ahead of the match, the Red Devils manager, Erik ten Hag, in a statement claimed he would have preferred to avoid playing against FC Twente in Europa League.

Ten Hag, who is from the Netherlands, admitted that he would have favoured playing against another club owing to his history with Twente.

The Red Devils manager started his professional career with Twente where he spent seven years in three different spells.

Ten Hag’s assistant Rene Hake, also managed the Dutch club for two years between 2015 and 2017.

While speaking at his pre-match press conference, Ten Hag said he would have preferred to have played against another club other than Twente.

“It’s not nice to have to hurt something you love,” he said.

The Red Devils boss revealed there is a great deal of connections to and fro between Man Utd and FC Twente, between him and Rene Hake, him and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Ten Hag added that there are also connections forged through the various Ajax players he has all been involved with during his time in the Dutch league.