Erik ten Hag is a candidate for the next managerial role three months after his sacking by Manchester United, as an unusual new role at the Bundesliga giant is revealed

Erik ten Hag is said to be working as a “shadow coach” at Borussia Dortmund under Nuri Sahin, although reports in Germany claim the former midfielder retains the trust of the board.

Ten Hag has been out of work since his sacking by Manchester United in October and has since been seen attending several matches in his native Netherlands.

The 54-year-old has some coaching experience in Germany, which came for two years at Bayern Munich II, while Pep Guardiola managed the senior team.

Ten Hag was at the Westfalenstadion on Friday night as Dortmund suffered a 3-2 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, which dropped them to eighth place in the Bundesliga. The result increased the pressure on Sahin, who replaced Edin Terzic at the start of the campaign.

According to Sky Germany, the Dutchman now works as an “alternative coach” at the club, although the report claims that Sahin “still enjoys the trust of the board.”

Further adding to speculation that Ten Hag could soon replace the 36-year-old, the former Red Devils boss reportedly has a “very good” relationship with Dortmund advisor and former captain Matthias Sammer.

Erik ten Hag has been out of work since his sacking by Manchester United in October.

Borussia Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin is under pressure over his team's disappointing league campaign.

Dortmund fell to eighth place in the Bundesliga after suffering a 3-2 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen.

In his new and rather peculiar role, Ten Hag could soon be reunited with one of his former stars, Marcus Rashford. This week, Mail Sport reported that the German giants are making a concerted effort to beat rivals AC Milan to the signing of the England international.

More talks are planned this week with Rashford's entourage, but the Bundesliga side have a good relationship with Manchester United and are looking to structure a deal based on the model used by Jadon Sancho last season.

Dortmund are close to completing the sale of Donyell Malen to Aston Villa and have discussed the loan of Chelsea's Carney Chukwuemeka and Brentford's Kevin Schade, but Rashford is their priority.

Rashford is available on loan after falling out of favor with United manager Ruben Amorim.

United value Rashford at around £60m, while he earns more than £350,000-a-week.

Any deal for Rashford is likely to center around who is willing to pay the majority of his wages.

A deal could be similar to the one that saw Sancho join Dortmund on loan from United for the second half of last season, with the suitor paying more based on success and appearances.