Erik ten Hag's shock decision could come back to haunt Bayern Munich against Manchester United

Erik ten Hag will be in familiar territory when he leads out his Manchester United side at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.

The Reds boss spent two years in charge of Bayern Munich's second side when a certain Pep Guardiola was in the first team dugout. Ten Hag jumped at the chance to join the Bavarian giants despite having just guided Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles into the top tier in his debut managerial season. The presence of Pep was a major factor.

Indeed, he earned the moniker 'Mini Pep' while in Germany and his two years were a success as his side finished first and second in the fourth tier, missing out on promotion in a play-off when they won the title. Munich was where Ten Hag really began to develop as a coach and form his methods, influenced by Guardiola and sporting director Matthias Sammer.

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Ten Hag described the job as like 'winning the lottery' and while he and Guardiola didn't mix regularly given the respective demands of their jobs, there was a shared passion for football and the tactical approach. While the Dutchman has become perhaps more pragmatic over the years, as seen at times at United, his Ajax side showcased plenty of the Pep attributes while the Catalan has had the advantage of three high-profile, financially superior clubs to work at.

Ten Hag's coaching path has been different, with the groundwork done in his native Netherlands and United his first chance to test himself in the Premier League and at one of the biggest clubs in the world. Bayern was the start of that path.

“This time was extremely valuable for me," he said in 2018. "I still remember well a lot of people