Ten Hag committed to Twente amid Netherlands links
Erik ten Hag has distanced himself from succeeding Ronald Koeman as Netherlands coach, instead pledging his commitment to Dutch side FC Twente.
Koeman resigned from his position after Netherlands' exit at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the Oranje losing to Morocco 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Round of 32.
Indeed, Netherlands has now been knocked out of the FIFA World Cup on penalties in each of its past three participations.
The 63-year-old had two stints in charge of Netherlands, leading it to a runner-up finish in the 2019 UEFA Nations League and the semi-finals at UEFA Euro 2024.
Several candidates have been linked with becoming Koeman's successor, with former Dutch stars Robin van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooy reportedly among the frontrunners.
Louis van Gaal and Michael Reiziger, the manager of Netherlands Under-21, are also of interest, along with Arne Slot, who was recently sacked by Liverpool.
But Ten Hag, who is currently the technical director at Twente and on a contract until 2028, ruled himself out of the running amid speculation surrounding his future.
"I'm not available," Ten Hag said in Tegelen, where Twente is on a pre-season training camp this week. "I consciously chose this step.
"I'll be working on that for the next two years anyway. I like it here and would like to help the club further."
Ten Hag was last in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, where he took charge of just two Bundesliga games before he was sacked despite seeing a squad overhaul in the summer.
It made Ten Hag the first coach in Bundesliga history to take over a team during the close-season and then see his tenure end just two top-flight games into the campaign.
Ten Hag has reiterated his desire to return to the dugout when the right opportunity arises, hinting that he would be interested in coaching the Dutch national team.
