Erik ten Hag at Bayern Munich - how Man Utd boss became 'Mini Pep' coaching future stars - Breaking News | Latest News Today

Erik 10 Hag returns to his aged stomping crushed connected Wednesday - well, almost.

Although nan Manchester United leader made his sanction connected nan world shape astatine Ajax, a spell astatine Bayern Munich successful complaint of their reserve broadside betwixt 2013 and 2015 was nan existent making of Ten Hag's managerial career. A decade connected from his assignment and nan Dutchman has been summoned backmost to Munich by kindness of nan Champions League draw.

United - enduring a dismal commencement to nan season - sojourn nan Allianz Arena hoping to spark their run into life, while Thomas Tuchel's men are aiming to put down nan first marker up of what could good beryllium different memorable European campaign. Ten Hag mightiness not person spent overmuch clip successful nan stadium itself arsenic a coach, but rubbing down connected German ungraded will bring backmost fond memories of moving alongside nary different than Pep Guardiola astatine 1 of world football's biggest clubs.

Join Mirror Football arsenic we return a heavy dive into his clip astatine Bayern and how he became 'Mini Pep'.

Winning nan lottery

Change was successful nan Munich aerial successful 2013. Despite becoming champions of Europe for nan 5th clip pinch triumph complete German rivals Borussia Dortmund astatine Wembley, it'd already been decided that Guardiola would switch nine fable Jupp Heynckes.

But nan domiciled of first-team head wasn't nan only alteration successful nan dugout that summer, arsenic Bayern Munich II were besides looking for a caller caput coach. With Ten Hag coming disconnected nan backmost of an awesome maiden play successful management, guiding Go Ahead Eagles to their first promotion successful 17 years via nan play-offs, past Bayern sporting head Matthias Sammer identified nan Dutch tactician arsenic nan perfect candidate.

Sammer is believed to person been nan driving unit down his appointment, but considering Guardiola and Ten Hag were some disciples of Johan Cruyff, it helped that their philosophies aligned. Also capable to fluently speak nan autochthonal connection acknowledgment to increasing up adjacent nan Dutch-German border, Ten Hag's determination to locomotion distant from an breathtaking first-team occupation was influenced by nan opportunity to study from Guardiola.

"That clip was enormously valuable for me," nan United head explained during an question and reply pinch Sport Bild successful 2018. "I retrieve it well. Many group successful Holland shook their heads erstwhile I near nan Eredivisie for nan Regionalliga [the section section successful Bavaria]."

Ten Hag added: "I ne'er regretted nan decision. Working for a nine arsenic large arsenic Bayern pinch specified formative personalities arsenic Pep Guardiola and besides Matthias Sammer was for illustration winning nan lottery."

Have your say! How acold will Manchester United spell successful nan Champions League? Join nan statement successful nan comments section.

Becoming 'Mini Pep'

Once he sewage settled in, Ten Hag was capable to watch Guardiola's training sessions up adjacent and personal, moreover being allowed to coach Bayern's remaining harvest of elder players during world breaks. Although nan brace person been observant not to overplay their narration successful nan years since, peculiarly pinch them now being rivals successful Manchester, Ten Hag and Guardiola intelligibly sewage acquainted.

"He came up to our agency sometimes to talk football, sometimes we needed to make training, talk immoderate players, not overmuch - we were not going retired for meal successful that period," Guardiola revealed to Sky Sports past year.

"The 2nd squad for Bayern Munich is conscionable a measurement [for a manager], you will not [spend each your career] there. He went to Holland and vanished astatine nan astir important nine successful Holland, what he has done pinch his teams speak for himself."

Both bald, some nan aforesaid height, and some idolising Cruyff's iconic marque of football, it was easy to constituent retired similarities betwixt nan duo successful Munich. Steve McClaren, portion of Ten Hag's United backroom unit aft moving together astatine Twente, says that nan Dutchman was truthful keen to emulate Guardiola - who by 2013 had already won nan Champions League doubly - he became known arsenic 'Mini Pep'.

"Erik is very disciplined and group person to bargain into that and person that activity ethic," McClaren told the Telegraph anterior to linking up astatine Old Trafford. "Tactically, he's outstanding. He worked pinch Pep astatine Bayern Munich and took successful his philosophy, too. They called him 'Mini Pep' retired there. He's ready. A batch of apical clubs successful Germany and England will beryllium retired to get him."

McClaren wasn't incorrect and it was moreover rumoured successful 2021, nan twelvemonth earlier Ten Hag joined United, that Bayern were keen to invited him backmost to nan Allianz Arena for nan first-team job. They opted for Julian Nagelsmann instead, who they'd yet sack successful March 2022 and switch pinch Thomas Tuchel.

Coaching early stars

Having won nan Regionalliga Bayern pinch nan German giants' reserve team, Ten Hag would yet return to nan Netherlands pinch Utrecht successful 2015, his precursor to taking complaint of Ajax. His departure from Bavaria came aft 2 years of coaching a big of up-and-coming talents either signed by Bayern aliases brought done nan club's younker academy.

The astir recognisable sanction to English fans will beryllium Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who near Danish broadside Brondby arsenic a teen and was a cardinal subordinate for Ten Hag's ressies during nan 2013-14 play erstwhile they won nan section convention title. Guardiola would later return Hojbjerg nether his wing, having already go nan youngest ever subordinate to correspond Bayern successful nan Bundesliga earlier loans pinch Augsburg and Schalke.

There was besides USA world Julian Green, a move winger tipped for large things and fixed his first-team debut by Guardiola. Green bagged 14 goals successful 23 games for Ten Hag but grounded to unrecorded up to his imaginable erstwhile he established himself arsenic a elder player, now representing second-tier German outfit Greuther Furth aft spells pinch Hamburg and Stuttgart.

As good coaching nan younger brothers of Bayern stalwarts Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger, Austrian ace Alessandro Schopf was portion of Ten Hag's title-winning side. Snapped up by Nurnberg successful nan summertime of 2014, nan versatile attacker would spell connected to walk 5 years astatine Schalke and is now plying his waste and acquisition successful Canada pinch Vancouver Whitecaps.

With Schopf gone and Hojbjerg and Green successful nan first-team moving pinch Guardiola, Ten Hag was incapable to repetition his triumph and his reserves vanished 2nd successful nan Regionalliga Bayern by an eight-point margin. At nan extremity of nan 2014-15 campaign, Ten Hag decided to return location and was replaced by Heiko Vogel, who fared acold little successfully.

Previous returns

Wednesday doesn't people nan first clip that Ten Hag has gone backmost to nan Allianz Arena. In 2018, nan Champions League group shape saw Ajax and Bayern drawn against 1 another, pinch their first conflict coming successful Munich.

Ten Hag's men earned a 1-1 tie earlier a melodramatic gathering successful Amsterdam a mates of months later. Both sides scored doubly aft nan 81st infinitesimal to consequence successful a 3-3 thriller, pinch Ajax having nan past laughter by equalising successful nan 95th.

There was besides a pre-season friends lucifer betwixt nan sides astatine nan Allianz Arena successful 2021, besides ending successful a draw, this clip 2-2. Despite United's struggling commencement to nan campaign, Ten Hag is now relishing nan opportunity to show Bayern what he's worthy - and possibly audition for a occupation successful nan future.

Shortly aft he and his depleted 21-man squad arrived successful Munich connected Tuesday evening, Ten Hag met nan property and was asked astir his clip successful Munich. "It was awesome for me, yes. I really enjoyed it present and I liked nan mentality from Bayern," he affirmed.

"The region arsenic well, but particularly nan club. We had awesome years, nan first twelvemonth particularly we were champions and we were unlucky not to beryllium promoted, I ne'er hide that. But it was a awesome acquisition to person arsenic a coach and a manager. For maine it was a very bully acquisition to beryllium present and it was enjoyable."

He'll beryllium hoping that he enjoys Wednesday's lucifer conscionable arsenic much.

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