Erik Ten Hag's post-match interview after winning a trophy as a player goes viral | OneFootball

Erik ten Hag is best known for his stint as a manager, first at Ajax and now at Manchester United.

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But he was once the other side of the white line.

The Dutchman primarily played in the Eredivisie, a league in which he racked up 296 games. During that period, he scored ten goals and notched a further 11 assists.

Playing career aside, Ten Hag turned his attention to coaching, beginning with FC Twente in their youth set-up, though was promoted to senior team assistant manager in 2006.

He impressed so much that he was made assistant manager at PSV Eindhoven, which preceded stints at Go Ahead Eagles, FC Bayern II, and FC Utrecht.

DOETINCHEM, NETHERLANDS - MAY 15: Erik Ten Hag, Manager of Ajax pose for a photo with flowers and champagne after winning the Eredivisie following the Eredivisie match between De Graafschap and Ajax at Stadion De Vijverberg on May 15, 2019 in Doetinchem, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Ajax, however, was his first high-profile managerial job that Ten Hag landed, and it’s safe to say that he was hugely successful.

Three Eredivisie titles in four seasons later and the English giants Manchester United recruited the 53-year-old to head up their rebuild after a number of poor seasons.

In his inaugural season at Old Trafford, he won the Carabao Cup, reached the final of the FA Cup and finished third in the league, which is an impressive effort given how United have struggled in recent times.

But the latest footage of an interview, all those years ago, to emerge shows he has always had an elite mentality.

You can watch the full interview below…

Video: Erik ten Hag’s interview when FC Twente won the KNVB Cup

The @TenHagBall_ Twitter uploaded the clip, and it has since gone viral, especially among those of a United persuasion.

Back in 2000/01, Ten Hag captained his FC Twente side to KNVB Cup glory, while they finished sixth domestically that season.

Their opponents, PSV Eindhoven, had won the league that season and were spearheaded by the likes of former United superstar Ruud van Nistelrooy.

But that did not stop Ten Hag’s desire to win shining through.

During a post-match interview, he proved how elite his mentality was as a player and this has brushed off into his time as a manager.

It came after his side missed their first and third penalty, but still managed to turn it round thanks to PSV missing three on the trot later in the shoot-out.

The interviewer asked: “When things went wrong, what did you think then?”

“Yes, you don’t believe anymore. If you miss two penalties, then you think it’s over. The one who probably didn’t believe it was over was Sander [the goalkeeper] but he just saved three. Really great,” the Dutch tactician replied.

“Yes he played fantastic anyway, but I found that with everyone. Everyone played great with us, we have just delivered one fantastic performance against one of the absolute best teams in the Netherlands.

“And it just turns out that we also have, as a whole, one very good team and have nothing on board with everyone.”

Despite being the foreseen underdogs in their conquest of one of the nation’s most prestigious honours, Ten Hag’s mentality obviously had a great influence on the rest of his team.

Fans also noticed that Ten Hag immediately greeted the post-match interviewer with a kiss on the cheek, which isn't something we're likely to see in the Premier League next season. They also had a bit to say about his body language during the interview.

How did Erik ten Hag get on in his first season as Manchester United boss?

Ten Hag did pretty well.

For starters, the former centre-back helped the Red Devils to their first piece of silverware since the 2016/17 season.

Prior to the campaign getting underway, the combination of a trophy and a top-four finish would have been viewed as a promising start to life in England, and delivered just that.

Ten Hag's achievements mean that the Red Devils will return to Europe’s top-tier club competition, the Champions League.

United want to be competitive on all fronts in the coming season, meaning that Ten Hag is busy trying to revamp his squad ahead of a huge campaign at the 'Theatre of Dreams'.