Erik ten Hag distanced himself from succeeding Ronald Koeman as the Netherlands' new boss, instead pledging his commitment to Dutch side FC Twente. 

Koeman resigned from his position following the Netherlands' exit at the World Cup, with the Oranje losing to Morocco 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the last 32.

Indeed, the Netherlands have now been knocked out of the World Cup on penalties in each of their last three participations. 

The 63-year-old had two stints in charge of the Netherlands, leading them to a runners-up finish in the 2019 Nations League and the semi-finals at Euro 2024. 

Several candidates have been linked with becoming Koeman's successor, with former Dutch stars Robin van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooy reportedly among the frontrunners. 

Louis van Gaal and Michael Reiziger, the manager of the Netherlands' Under-21 side, are also of interest, along with Arne Slot, who was recently sacked by Liverpool. 

But Ten Hag, who is currently the technical director at Twente and on a contract until 2028, ruled himself out of the running amid speculation surrounding his future. 

"I'm not available," said Ten Hag in Tegelen, where Twente are on a pre-season training camp this week. "I consciously chose this step.

"I'll be working on that for the next two years anyway. I like it here and would like to help the club further."

𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 '𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟓'
𝘐𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘬 𝘮𝘦𝘵… Erik ten Hag

Beluister de aflevering met Erik ten Hag via deze link https://t.co/vykTGE0mWd#FCTwente pic.twitter.com/P4RGgzbJQL

— FC Twente (@fctwente) June 17, 2026

Ten Hag was last in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, where he took charge of just two Bundesliga games before he was sacked despite seeing a squad overhaul in the summer. 

It made Ten Hag the first coach in Bundesliga history to take over a team during the close-season and then see his tenure end just two top-flight games into the campaign.

Ten Hag has reiterated his desire to return to the dugout when the right opportunity arises, hinting that he would be interested in coaching the Dutch national team.