Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag admits he is not looking forward to coming up against boyhood club Twente in the Europa League on Thursday.
The Dutchman enjoyed three spells with Twente as a player, starting and ending his career with the Eredivisie side before making his first foray into coaching with their youth teams.
This week he will look to defeat them at Old Trafford and get United’s Europa League campaign off to a winning start.
“Of all the teams, Twente is the team I follow the most. I watch them as a fan, as a supporter, not as an analyst,” Ten Hag explained during his press conference on Tuesday.
“I would have preferred to play against somebody else. It’s not nice to hurt something you love. Twente brought me a lot, I was put through their academy, so for me there is a great deal of history there.”
United finished eighth in the Premier League last season but qualified for Europe’s second-tier competition by virtue of their FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May. The new Europa League format will see each team play eight games before the knockout rounds, ensuring Ten Hag’s squad will be stretched to its limit.
One player he could certainly do with, not only in Europe but also for domestic matters, is Luke Shaw. The left-back has not played a single game for the Red Devils this season after sustaining a calf injury over the summer.
Ten Hag has admitted that there is a chance of welcoming Shaw back into the fold before the next international break, which begins on October 6. But the boss also explained that the 29-year-old will be handled with care.
“I think he will probably back before the international break but I can’t say 100 per cent sure,” said Ten Hag. “The plan is to be back before, but it could end up being a short while after.”
Players welfare has been brought into sharp focus by UEFA’s demanding new European format, which has given Ten Hag cause for concern. “There are too many games, too many competitions, it’s clear,” he said. “The players are overloaded, this is not good for football. Maybe it’s good for commercial.
“As a club alone, we can’t change this. It’s about clubs and players and coaches. We have to work on this to improve the game and find the right balance. We are professional, and revenues have to come, but we have to balance it out.”
