Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol claims Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has lost the support of this dressing room
Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol stated that many players are questioning Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag over his man-management. Solhekol suggests that the United boss has lost a lot of support in the dressing room after Jadon Sancho spat.
Ten Hag criticized Sancho for his training performances while explaining his exclusion from the matchday squad against Arsenal in September. The England international retaliated to his manager’s criticism and accused him of using Sancho as a scapegoat.
United banished the 23-year-old from using any first-team facilities as a consequence of his disobedience. Sancho has not apologised to the manager over his conduct as his future at the club remains uncertain.
Solhekol told Sky Sports that many players are not happy with Ten Hag’s man-management approach among other things. He said:
“A few of the players are also unhappy at how Jadon Sancho has been treated. He’s got people in the dressing room who are close to him and he’s been totally frozen out because he’s refused to apologise to Erik ten Hag. He’s training with the kids and he’s eating on his own. Quite a few of the players feel like that has gone too far. There’s always unhappy people in a dressing room, but when you’re losing games, there are even more of them.”
United have lost 10 games in all competitions so far this season, showing vulnerabilities in both offensive and defensive phases. Ten Hag has failed to build cohesion and a particular tactical approach in the squad.
The Dutchman has deployed a rigid 4-2-4 formation to play according to the strength of the players that he favours. However, players like Marcus Rashford, Andre Onana and Antony are still struggling to deliver better performances consistently.
Guardian reported that many players blamed Ten Hag for the poor start to the season due to overloading pre-season training. He has earned a reputation for being very strict in training and implementing tough discipline to get the desired result.
Ten Hag had previously fallen out of favour with United icon Cristiano Ronaldo during the last season. United mutually terminated Ronaldo’s contract while backing their manager over the ordeal.
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Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg reported that United’s star defender Raphael Varane is currently unhappy at the club. Ten Hag used Luke Shaw as a make-shift centre-back against Newcastle United over Varane in their 0-1 loss. The decision continues to baffle many fans and pundits as Varane struggles to find game-time in recent matches.
Ten Hag cannot afford to lose the dressing room when United are facing tough games in their congested December fixture. The Red Devils cannot afford to lose more points as they chase the top-four spot in the Premier League.