'No contact' - Why Erik ten Hag was at Serie A match as he considers next job after Manchester United sacking
Erik ten Hag is without a job ever since he was sacked by Man Utd in October 2024.
Erik ten Hag sparked reports of an imminent return to management when he was spotted at Roma's 1-1 draw with Juventus over the weekend. The 55-year-old has been out of work since he was sacked by Manchester United last October but has been linked with various jobs across Europe.
Roma are still on the lookout for a new manager once Claudio Ranieri retires at the end of the season, while Ten Hag was also linked with a move to Juventus before they appointed Igor Tudor as their new coach last month.
Ten Hag is in no rush to return to management following his dismissal from Old Trafford, and a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport played down the suggestion of a move to the Serie A club. They cited sources close to both Roma and Ten Hag, who both insisted the Dutchman was only at the match as a 'tourist' and that 'there was no contact with the club.'
Erik ten Hag stance on management return
Erik ten Hag has already revealed he has no plans to return to management until the summer and that he will use the current period to reflect on his time at Manchester United and how he can improve.
Speaking in an interview with SEG Stories, Ten Hag said: "I stopped playing football at 32, and three weeks later I was head of training. I then spent 22 years, 365 days a year, only working on football. In this industry, you never have a day off. Every summer, every winter, you just keep going. Always busy. With your team, with your club, with transfers.
"You are busy with current affairs - the next match is always the most important - but at the same time also with the long term. I really have the energy for it, I am a busy guy, but the downside is a poor social life. I notice that now. It is a choice, are the consequences of your profession. You miss birthdays, parties, but also difficult moments.
"My hands are not itching yet. I'm not going to do anything until July 1st anyway. That's actually the first time, yes. It's mainly a period of looking in the mirror. I have peace for that now.
"Looking back on the last few months, but also looking back on 22 years in this world. I use this period for reflection and am also working on refining my working method: my game model. How is a selection put together, what are the profiles, do I need to refining that, do I need to add new elements and what consequences would that possibly have... No, that's not obsessive, I call that passionate."