Ten Hag: My Busby Babe pride
ERIK TEN HAG has described how the Munich Air Disaster is a major driving force behind his dream of bringing the glory days back to Manchester United.
United will mark the 66th anniversary of the tragedy on Tuesday, when they will remember the eight brilliant Busby Babes killed when a plane taking them home from a European Cup tie in Belgrade crashed on take-off after a refuelling stop in Bavaria.
Twenty-three people died in the accident – including eight journalists.
But manager Matt Busby recovered from serious injuries to build a team that became European champions 10 years later.
Ten Hag, who will attend a memorial ceremony at Old Trafford, said: “Munich tells a lot about the legacy of this club and the DNA of this club.
“Having big setbacks, tragedy, but fighting back with young players who should express resilience.
“Munich was a disaster for the club. How the club recovered from it, how individuals recovered from it, it was great.
“From such a disaster, to survive it and a few years later you’re lifting the biggest trophy in European football, that is immense.
“We should always remember this. This is the legacy why Manchester United exists – and what we should match as a club, as a team, as individuals.”
Ten Hag was touched by tragedy himself in 1989 when one of his FC Twente team-mates was killed in a plane crash in Surinam.
Andy Scharmin, a promising 21-year-old left-back, was among 176 people to lose their lives, including 15 other footballers.
Ten Hag admitted that he has a responsibility to honour the Busby Babes by giving United’s youth players a pathway to the first team.
He added: “I’ve always been driven by this motivation and that is one of the reasons why I’m here, to develop young players.
“You need patience but also the right structures, capable coaches in the academy and personalities,” he said. “To bring young players in is a big advantage because they know the DNA of the club.”