Erik ten Hag could have made millions doing something completely different from football

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag could have made millions doing something completely different from football.

The Dutchman, who was appointed by United in the summer is gearing up for his first stab at a trophy in English football when he takes his side to Wembley this Sunday.

Standing in the way between United and the Carabao Cup will be Newcastle United, who have been transformed since the Saudi-led consortium took over.

Ten Hag has done a great job after a tough start that resulted in back-to-back defeats by Brighton and Brentford. Now, United are third in the Premier League table, just five points behind leaders Arsenal.

Many United fans are excited about the future under their new manager but Ten Hag’s life could have been so different if he had followed in the footsteps of his brothers Michel and Rico.

Ten Hag could have been making millions if he opted to work within his father, Hennie’s real estate company.

According to the BBC, Ten Hag’s brothers Michel and Rico have become multi-millionaires after Hennie stepped down from the company in 2007.

Michel took over as chairman and has since worked closely with Rico. Ten Hag’s father had hoped he would join his brothers in the family business, but he only had eyes for a career in football.

The former Ajax boss came through the academy at FC Twente and became a regular in the U18s at just 14 years old.

Throughout his career, Ten Hag has had to deal with not one but three major tragedies.

His close friend Andy Scharmin died aged 21 in a plane crash, whilst another close pal, Gino Weber took his own life when he was just 33.

Alamy

After losing two close friends, Ten Hag’s mentor, Epi Drost died suddenly during a match after suffering a cardiac arrest.

On the tragedies, Ten Hag previously said: “It puts everything into perspective. I certainly think about how things can go in life.”

After retiring at 32 years old to go into coaching, Ten Hag worked alongside Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich, then took charge of Dutch clubs Utrecht and Ajax.

Now, he is hoping to bring United back to the top of world football. The Red Devils are in Europa League action against Barcelona on Thursday night.