Erik ten Hag spotted at first football match since Man Utd sacking | OneFootball

Five days after his exit from Manchester United was confirmed, Erik ten Hag returned to the world of professional football by attending a match in the Dutch top flight.

Ten Hag was one of the 11,912 spectators in attendance at Heracles' Asito Stadion on Saturday, watching on as a brace from Brian De Keersmaecker earned the hosts a 2-0 victory over NAC Breda in an underwhelming clash.

The Dutch manager was sacked by United on Monday, less than 24 hours after a wasteful and controversial 2-1 loss to West Ham United. Chronic inefficiency in front of goal proved to be Ten Hag's undoing in the end, although there were plenty of problem areas during his eventful two years in the Old Trafford dugout.

Ruud van Nistelrooy was appointed as Ten Hag's assistant over the summer and will bridge the gap between his former boss and the incoming Ruben Amorim until November's international break. The interim head coach revealed that Ten Hag had been "disappointed" and "hurt" by his dismissal, which came less than two months after the club's new chief executive Omar Berrada declared: "We're fully backing him."

Erik ten Hag's last fixture in charge of Manchester United was a 2-1 loss to West Ham / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages

In the aftermath of his unceremonious exit, Ten Hag returned to the Netherlands. Saturday's mid-table bout between Heracles and NAC Breda was the closest top-flight clash to his hometown of Haaksbergen, representing less than a 30-minute drive.

Ten Hag's much-cherished former club FC Twente, who held their ex-manager and player to an embarrassing Europa League draw at Old Trafford in September, were playing Willem II away from home this weekend.

Ajax were also in action on Saturday night, hosting PSV Eindhoven in one of the most glamorous fixtures of the season. Ten Hag spent four-and-a-half years in charge of the Amsterdam giants, leading them to three top-flight titles and a Champions League semi-final. Despite this deep-rooted connection, the private and wounded head coach opted to avoid the bright lights of the Johan Cruijff ArenA.