Erik ten Hag is reportedly working as a ‘shadow coach’ at Borussia Dortmund under Nuri Sahin, though reports in Germany claim the former midfielder retains the trust of the board.
Ten Hag has been out of work since his sacking by Manchester United in October and has since been spotted attending various matches in his native Netherlands.
The 54-year-old has some coaching experience in Germany, which came during a two-year stint with Bayern Munich II, while Pep Guardiola managed the senior side.
Ten Hag was at the Westfalenstadion on Friday night as Dortmund suffered a 3-2 loss by Bayer Leverkusen, which saw them fall to eighth in the Bundesliga. The result heaped more pressure on Sahin, who replaced Edin Terzic at the start of the campaign.
According to Sky Germany, the Dutchman is now operating as a ‘shadow coach’ at the club, although the report claimed that Sahin ‘still enjoys the trust of the board’.
To add further fuel to speculation that Ten Hag could soon replace the 36-year-old, the former Red Devils boss reportedly has a ‘very good’ relationship with Dortmund advisor and former captain Matthias Sammer.
Erik ten Hag has been out of work since his sacking by Manchester United in October
Borussia Dortmund boss Nuri Sahin has come under pressure for his side’s disappointing league campaign
Dortmund fell to eighth in the Bundesliga after suffering a 3-2 defeat by Bayer Leverkusen
In his new, rather peculiar role, Ten Hag could soon be reunited with one of his former stars Marcus Rashford. This week, Mail Sport reported that the German giants are making a concerted effort to beat rivals AC Milan to the England international’s signature.
More talks are planned this week with Rashford’s entourage but the Bundesliga side have a good relationship with Manchester United and are looking to structure a deal based on the model used for Jadon Sancho last season.
Dortmund are close to finalising the sale of Donyell Malen to Aston Villa and have discussed a loan for Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka plus Brentford’s Kevin Schade but Rashford is their priority.
Rashford is available on loan after falling out of favour under United boss Ruben Amorim.
United value Rashford at around £60million, while he earns over £350,000-a-week.
Any deal for Rashford is likely to centre on who is willing to pay the majority of his wages.
A deal could be similar to the one that saw Sancho join Dortmund on loan from United for the second half of last season, with the suitor paying more based on success and appearances.