Despite no Premier League action during the international break, embattled Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag still couldn’t escape a defeat.
Ten Hag returned to his native Holland where he took the reins of his former club FC Utrecht in a testimonial fixture.
The event was a celebration for Utrecht club legend Mark van der Maarel, who enjoyed a 15-year stint at the club before retiring at the end of last season.
In fact, Utrecht was the only club Van der Maarel ever played for, registering nearly 400 appearances for them from 2009 to 2024.
Van der Maarel, a defender, spent two seasons under Ten Hag, who managed Utrecht from May 2015 to December 2017 when he was poached by Ajax.
Ten Hag returned to the Utrecht dugout for Mark van der Maarel’s testimonial match
Van Der Maarel spent 15 years playing for Utrecht and featured in almost 400 games
A host of Van der Maarel’s former teammates returned as they played Utrecht’s current stars
Ten Hag also enjoyed a spell at Utrecht as a player for the 1995-96 Eredivisie season.
Several of Van der Maarel’s teammates throughout the years returned for the occasion as they faced a team of Utretcht’s current stars.
Ten Hag was in charge of the ex-Utrecht stars but was unable to guide them to victory as they lost 2-1, with Van der Maarel scoring a late consolation.
After the match, Ten Hag hailed Van der Maarel for his vast contribution to Utrecht.
‘If you stay at this club for so long, you are a character,’ Ten Hag said.
‘He has so deserved this.’
Ten Hag’s attention now turns towards United, who have had a poor start to the Premier League season.
The goodwill built up from the 1-0 victory over Fulham on the opening day has largely evaporated after the Red Devils slipped to a 2-1 loss to Brighton and 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford.
The 54-year-old spent a season playing for Utrecht and later rejoined them as a manager
Ten Hag has work to do at Old Trafford after the Red Devils lost two of their first three games
Speaking after the Liverpool contest, Ten Hag insisted he is not ‘Harry Potter’ and claimed United had plenty of problems left to fix.
‘It is the third game of the season,’ Ten Hag said.
‘I have had to explain this so many times. We have to build them in the team and it will take time. We will be fine but it is clear we have to improve.
‘At the end of the season I am quite confident we will have a big chance to lift another trophy.’
Ten Hag will look to keep the doubters at bay when United travel to Southampton on September 14.
