Erik ten Hag has hinted he could pursue a career away from football management after being sacked by Manchester United.

United announced Ten Hag's departure in October, just three months after he had signed a new two-year contract at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman won the EFL Cup and FA Cup in his two full seasons at United, but a poor start to the 2024-25 campaign saw him lose his job.

And Ten Hag has now suggested that, while he could return to a dugout one day, his next job may be away from the sport entirely.

"There are so many other things I could do," he told SEG Stories. "Maybe in football, in a new position as a manager. That’s an option. 

"Or maybe something completely different. I've been working with my brothers lately. We have our own company. 

"Or rather, they have their own company. But we also run a company together with our father. That’s also something I love to do.

"I can now give that more attention and it's also a lot of fun."

Prior to his appointment at United, Ten Hag won three Eredivisie titles and two domestic cups in four-and-a-half years in charge of Ajax.

The 55-year-old has also previously managed Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich II and Utrecht.

United ended last season on a high by winning the FA Cup, but they finished in their lowest-ever position of eighth in the Premier League.

Ten Hag had to deal with countless public player issues at Old Trafford, including with Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.

Speaking in the same interview, Ten Hag said modern-day players struggle to deal with criticism in the same way as previous generations.

"This generation usually find it difficult to deal with criticism. Criticism really gets to them," he said.

"The generation that I grew up in had much thicker skin. You could be much more direct.

"I was approached much more directly. If I would do that with my current group of players I would demotivate them.

"If you do that to the current generation they find it offensive."