“I hope that I can also be such a person” – Ex-Juventus forward retires and says he wants to become like Manchester United boss Ten Hag

Dutch footballer Eljero Elia announced his retirement at the age of 36 and revealed he wants to follow in the footsteps of Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

The former Ado Den Haag player has been keeping busy with a coaching internship at Feyenoord. He is working at the club towards obtaining his UEFA badges and training the youth team.

Elia cited a broken ankle as the reason for his retirement, which led to a sudden end to his daily training routine. However, the former Netherlands international has not forgotten his time working with Ten Hag at FC Twente, where the current Manchester United boss was an assistant coach.

Eljero Elia today announced his retirement.

He played 30 times for the Netherlands.

His career took him around Europe including spells with Twente, Juventus, Werder Bremen, Southampton, Feyenoord and Istanbul Basaksehir.

Elia praised Ten Hag's interpersonal skills, which he believes have been evident in his first few months with the Red Devils. Speaking about the United manager, who clearly left a strong impression on him, Elia explained in an interview (via United in Focus):

“Erik ten Hag was a perfect assistant coach for me. Also besides football. Mentally and humanly he taught me a lot that I still use a lot to this day. And that will always stay with me. I hope that I can also be such a person, with an exemplary role for players in that area.”

Elia scored 8 and assisted 5 goals in 32 appearances for Basaksehir last season.

🇳🇱 Den Haag
🇳🇱 Twente
🇮🇹 Juventus
🇬🇧 Southampton
🇩🇪 Werder Bremen
🇳🇱 Feyenoord
🇹🇷 Basaksehir https://t.co/1aXwymxqtF

Ten Hag's players clearly enjoy working with him, and Elia hopes to emulate his former coach's human touch in his own coaching career. While the former Juventus forward is unsure if he wants to become a manager, Elia wants to be known for his ability to connect with people on a personal level.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag delivers message to youngsters after Carabao Cup win

Following their Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle United, Ten Hag was spotted sharing his thoughts with some of Manchester United's most promising prospects. They were given the privilege to partake in the celebrations, despite not featuring in the final itself.

Asked about his message to the youngsters, Ten Hag revealed (via Manchester Evening News):

“First of all, they have taken part in it because they deserve to be there but also the message is that they get the experience, how it is, and in the previous question you asked me, I said about sacrificing and suffering."

He added:

"When you celebrate, you forget everything. That is the best feeling you can have so they have to get in that attitude to collect trophies, to be in that winning approach, you have to do a lot, invest a lot, give everything, every day, to collect that."

Manchester United will next face rivals Liverpool away in the Premier League on March 5.