Erik ten Hag has reportedly refused the club of his dreams just two weeks after his extraordinary sacking by Bayer Leverkusen.

The Dutchman would rather keep his meaty Bayer Leverkusen severance pay packet than accept the opportunity offered – despite professing his ‘love’ for the club.

He is a free agent after he was sacked just two games into his Bundesliga odyssey with Bayer Leverkusen.

After leaving Manchester United last season, Ten Hag had hoped to revive his fortunes with a side who claimed an unbeaten domestic double as recently as 2023-24 under Xabi Alonso.

But Leverkusen, so unimpressed by the 55-year-old, opted to sack him for around £4.3million rather than keep him, with that figure reported by German outlet Bild. That severance fee, around £69,000 per day that he worked, is due to be paid over time but it is understood he would forfeit it if he took on a new club.

And so Ten Hag has snubbed the chance to take over at Eredivisie side Twente in their hour of need, according to De Telegraaf.

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Erik ten Hag has reportedly refused the job with his ‘big love’: Twente in the Netherlands

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Ten Hag came through Twente’s youth system and captained the club to cup glory in 2001

Twente are on the hunt for a new manager five games into the season after a tricky start which sees them floundering in 13th out of 18, just two points above the automatic relegation spots.

The refusal will be extra painful for Twente considering that Ten Hag is a boyhood fan and club legend.

An academy graduate, he captained Twente to KNVB Cup glory in 2001, one of only three times the club have won the trophy in their history.

He went on to play for them 262 times across three stints and when he came up against them as United boss, he declared he had a ‘big love’ for them.

Ten Hag last managed in his homeland in 2022, when he finished up a successful five-year stint with Ajax before joining Manchester United.

He built his managerial reputation at Ajax, winning three league titles and two Dutch cups and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2018-19.

But it is at Twente where he became the man he is. His philosophy was heavily influenced by his mentor and former youth-team coach Epi Drost, who died of a heart attack aged 49 in 1995.

‘I often think back to my youth at Twente,’ said Ten Hag. ‘Three boys were so good they could have made it to the national team. But one of them was seriously injured and two other boys died young. It puts everything into perspective.

Ten Hag, third left in the middle row, came through Twente’s academy to play for the senior team

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An old team-mate said the former Man United boss wanted to return to Twente one day

‘Epi Drost was my idol. He was a fan of adventurous football. He stimulated creativity, because that was the most important thing to him. Epi died due to a cardiac arrest during a match. That was a massive blow for me.’

During his third spell as a player at Twente an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Enschede – where the club plays – killed 23 people and left 950 injured. Hundreds of homes were also destroyed in the blast.

Ten Hag had later reflected on his anger that Twente had been forced to play a match just one day after the disaster.

The club’s success in the KNVB Cup one year later had been seen as vital in helping to bring joy to the area.

‘When I think of the cup final, I think of the euphoria, the happiness, the sensation. It is a prize that is inextricably linked to the fireworks disaster,’ Ten Hag said in a 2021 interview.

‘Twenty years later, the disaster is still sensitive, it has left a crater in the city and the aftermath is still palpable. Without wanting to overestimate the importance of football, winning the cup gave the city back some pride a year after the disaster.’

Having retired as a player in 2003, Ten Hag would pursuing his coaching ambitions at the club, starting out as an under-17 coach before spending three years leading the under-19 side.

His rise through the ranks continued when he became an assistant manager, a role he held when former England boss Steve McClaren took charge in 2008. He had left by the time Twente won the title in 2008.

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Ten Hag’s career has been shaped by his time at Twente both on and off the pitch

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The Dutchman played at centre back for Twente and played for them 262 times

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Ten Hag began his coaching career at Twente and served as assistant to Steve McClaren

A former team-mate, Boudewijn Pahlplatz, told the Manchester Evening News that Ten Hag had said he wants to return to The Tukkers one day.

But now they will have to wait until another time for that.