Reports of dressing room unrest at Manchester United and a rift between players and manager can no longer be considered mischief-making by the press.
Despite a heartfelt interview by Scott McTominay yesterday insisting everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet, report after report is emerging about discontent and the most damning of all comes from the most trustworthy source of all, The Athletic.
The football-specialist outlet is well-known for its reliability and whilst that does not make it right 100% of the time, if The Athletic says something is happening, it usually is.
On reports of dressing room dissatisfaction with the manager, The Athletic says “there is a growing feeling of unrest within the squad, with some players beginning to lose faith in him.” Several reasons are cited:
- “Ten Hag’s intensity, which was widely lauded and seen as a positive last season, is now being viewed as a problem.”
- Ten Hag’s press conference comment that he substituted Casemiro at half time against Brentford because he wanted to “play more football” “did not go down well inside the dressing room.”
- The report also states that there were “raised eyebrows” at the manager’s decision to play Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans ahead of Raphael Varane for the Manchester derby.
- Ten Hag’s handling of Jadon Sancho, who has been exiled after criticising his manager on social media, has also not gone down well with some players.
- Harry Maguire is also said to have been “bruised by efforts to get rid of him in the summer.”
- Ten Hag is accused of “lacking charisma” by the players, none of whom he has a good personal relationship with.
Despite all this, The Athletic says that while there is no longer “universal confidence in his abilities among those with connections to United,” Ten Hag’s job is probably safe for now.
The club’s imminent investment from INEOS means that the decision to hire or fire the Dutchman is likely to be put on hold until the new decision makers are in place.
The Athletic’s report corroborates that of The MEN’s Samuel Luckhurst, who said that “doubts are growing [among the players] over Erik ten Hag’s management.”
What is even more concerning in that report is that it claims there is “simmering resentment among certain players towards teammates.”
According to The Sun, Ten Hag “has ordered his players to have one-to-one sessions with him to mend Manchester United’s broken dressing room.”
Whether he will be able to repair the damage and rebuild the team harmony that was so refreshing to see last season remains to be seen.