The tragic events that shape the life of Eric ten Haag … The incoming manager of Manchester United suffered the loss of a friend in a plane crash, the suicide of a teammate and the fatal heart attack of his mentor
- Eric Ten Haag’s life is deeply affected by personal loss
- It is believed that the 52-year-old man was driven to succeed by the tragic events
- His philosophy is strongly influenced by his mentor Epi Drost
By Chris Wheeler for the Daily Mail
Posted: 22:30, 14 April 2022 | Updated: 01:34, 15 April 2022
It promises to be a whirlwind for a few weeks in Eric ten Haag’s life, but the future new manager of Manchester United will take time from his new job to remember a lost friend and a tragedy that helped shape his career.
June 7 is a date that Ten Hag notes in its diary as a day of mourning. It was on this day in 1989 that his close friend Andy Sharmin died in a plane crash on the way to a charity tournament in Suriname. The 21-year-old Charmin had traveled from Amsterdam with his mother and 14 other players after rejecting the chance to play for the Netherlands under 21 in the Toulon tournament.
They were among 178 of the 187 people on board who died when Flight 764 of Suriname Airways crashed on its last approach to Paramaribo-Zanderie Airport.
Eric ten Haag will take time from his new job at Man United to remember a lost friend
Ten Haag, then 19, learned the devastating news when his Twente teammate, Edwin Hilgerink, knocked on his front door in the small town of Haaksbergen, where they were raised in the eastern Netherlands.
“I will never forget Edwin standing on my doorstep to tell me that a plane with Andy and his mother on board had crashed,” Ten Haag recalled.
“It was a huge blow. At his funeral, I carried Andy’s coffin with other teammates. This happened on June 7, 1989, and every year on that date I have a day of mourning.
Ten Hag’s life is deeply affected by the deaths of Andy Sharmin (left) and Gino Weber (right)
Sharmin’s death is not the only tragedy that still haunts Ten Hag. Gino Weber, a friend and former teammate of the Twente youth team, committed suicide at the age of 33 after his career was derailed by injuries.
Ten Hag coach Epi Drost suffered a fatal heart attack in 1995
Weber suffered from depression and addiction, and after being sentenced to prison for robbery, he was found dead at home in July 2003.
Another member of Twente’s youth team, Wilfried Elzinga, severely injured his career.
People close to Ten Hag believe that the 52-year-old man was driven to succeed by the misfortune of his friends, as if determined to take advantage of opportunities he never had.
He turned down the chance to join his brothers in the family business and instead made a modest playing career in his home country as a center-back before excelling as a coach.
His philosophy has been strongly influenced by his mentor and former youth team coach, Epi Drost, who died of a heart attack at the age of 49 in 1995.
Ten Haag enjoyed a modest playing career in his home country before excelling as a coach
“I often think of my youth in Twente,” said Ten Haag. “Three boys were so good that they could reach the national team. But one of them was seriously injured and two other boys died young. It puts everything in perspective.
“Epi Drost was my idol. He was a fan of adventure football. He stimulated creativity because that was the most important thing for him. Epi died of cardiac arrest during a match. It was a huge blow to me.
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