Ten Hag retired from playing at the end of the following season. He was made head of youth development and, along with Snelders, now back in the Netherlands, started to earn his coaching badges.
“Me and Erik had to do 18 sessions and we always drove together, except when the carnival was around and Erik wanted to go, so he chucked it,” said Snelders.
Despite his occasional absence, Ten Hag still got his coaching badges because he was “well-liked” and pretty much “knew his knowledge already” added Snelders.
“He wasn’t quite the teacher’s pet, but the teachers were always asking ‘do you agree with that Erik?'”
By the time of his final season with Twente, 2008-09, Ten Hag was so embedded with the club that manager Steve McClaren – formerly England boss – let him take training sessions for the first two months of his tenure, so as to not upset the side’s culture.
Ten Hag left to become a coach at PSV Eindhoven in 2009, having helped shape the modern Twente. But how did the club influence him?
“He cares about people. He is a very caring soul,” said Snelders. “He is not just interested in the player but also the person, and their families.
“I didn’t think he’d be managing Manchester United [when he left Twente]. But he made the right steps to develop and he’s very good with young players.
“He’s got the talent. At Ajax he grew again. What he did there was unbelievable.”
