A plane crash, fireworks disaster & car tragedy - how Twente shaped Ten Hag

Manchester United manager Erik 10 Hag faces a nine adjacent to his bosom successful the Europa League connected Wednesday, but besides 1 wherever tragedies shaped his fledgling career.

At FC Twente a team-mate of Ten Hag's died successful a level crash. A twelvemonth aboriginal different subordinate was killed successful a car accident.

When Ten Hag was skipper a fatal fireworks disaster stunned the club's city.

These 3 moments person shaped United's upcoming opponents Twente. They besides made Ten Hag into the antheral helium is today.

Andy Scharmin was skipper of the Netherlands Under-21 side. He was expected to beryllium the adjacent superstar successful Dutch, and European, football.

"Scharmin and Erik were akin ages, they came from the aforesaid village," ex-Twente goalkeeper Theo Snelders told BBC Sport.

On 7 June 1989 Scharmin and 16 different young footballers were flying to Suriname for a pre-season friendly, to rise consciousness of Dutch-Surinamese players erstwhile their level crashed connected its attack to landing.

In total, 176 radical connected committee were killed, including Scharmin, 13 of his team-mates and their coach.

"It was a immense calamity for the club," said Snelders, who played with Scharmin for 2 years.

Ten Hag and different Twente players were pallbearers astatine Scharmin's ceremonial and the United manager has a time of mourning connected 7 June each year.

"Scharmin was an unimaginable jock and my friend," Ten Hag said a fewer years ago.

"I volition ne'er hide my team-mate Edwin Hilgerink lasting connected my doorstep to archer maine that a level had crashed with Andy and his parent connected board."

A precocious developer, Ten Hag was inactive successful the younker set-up astatine Twente erstwhile Scharmin was killed.

He played 2 seasons with the archetypal squad earlier transferring to second-tier De Graafschap successful the summertime of 1990.

That summertime Twente signed promising midfielder Tom Krommendijk, 23, from Feyenoord.

After the archetypal lucifer of the play Krommendijk was driving location erstwhile helium mislaid power of his car and died successful the resulting crash.

Two players dying successful 14 months, astatine 1 club.

Ten Hag had lone conscionable near Twente but his connections were inactive heavy - indeed, helium would rejoin successful 1992.

"Twente brought maine a lot," Ten Hag said successful his quality league connected Tuesday earlier United's match. "[There is] a large woody of past there."

"I was portion of their archetypal younker team. Twente is the squad I travel the most. I ticker them arsenic a fan, not arsenic an analyst."

In 1994, Ten Hag near his boyhood nine again to play for chap Dutch nine RKC Waalwijk. He past spent a play astatine Utrecht but returned to Twente successful 1996, wherever helium finished his playing vocation six years aboriginal - astatine the property of 32.

In May 2000 the metropolis of Enschede, wherever Twente play, was the country of a catastrophic catastrophe aft an detonation astatine a fireworks warehouse.

Twenty-three radical were killed, 950 were injured, and the suburb of Roombeek had to beryllium rebuilt.

Ten Hag was skipper of Twente astatine the clip and 3 days aboriginal led retired his broadside earlier an affectional 2-2 gully astatine NAC Breda.

Twelve months aft the catastrophe Ten Hag skippered Twente to the Dutch Cup, the club's archetypal trophy successful 24 years.

"That brought truthful overmuch joyousness to the area," said Snelders. "These tragedies, that’s wherefore Twente present is truthful close.

"There’s a [Dutch] connection called Noaberschap. You look aft your neighbours, to assistance each other, support an oculus connected them. That's what the eastbound of Holland stands for. That's Twente."

Ten Hag retired from playing astatine the extremity of the pursuing season. He was made caput of younker improvement and, on with Snelders, present backmost successful the Netherlands, started to gain his coaching badges.

"Me and Erik had to bash 18 sessions and we ever drove together, but erstwhile the carnival was astir and Erik wanted to go, truthful helium chucked it," said Snelders.

Despite his occasional absence, Ten Hag inactive got his coaching badges due to the fact that helium was "well-liked" and beauteous overmuch "knew his cognition already" added Snelders.

"He wasn't rather the teacher’s pet, but the teachers were ever asking 'do you hold with that Erik?'"

By the clip of his last play with Twente, 2008-09, Ten Hag was truthful embedded with the nine that manager Steve McClaren - formerly England brag - fto him instrumentality grooming sessions for the archetypal 2 months of his tenure, truthful arsenic to not upset the side's culture.

Ten Hag near to go a manager astatine PSV Eindhoven successful 2009, having helped signifier the modern Twente. But however did the nine power him?

"He cares astir people. He is simply a precise caring soul," said Snelders. "He is not conscionable funny successful the subordinate but besides the person, and their families.

"I didn't deliberation he'd beryllium managing Manchester United [when helium near Twente]. But helium made the close steps to make and he's precise bully with young players.

"He's got the talent. At Ajax helium grew again. What helium did determination was unbelievable."