Manchester United players are reportedly becoming unhappy with Erik ten Hag’s approach as the Red Devils’ poor form continues ahead of tonight’s game against Newcastle United.
It’s a stark contrast to the last time Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United took on Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, a 2-0 win for the Red Devils was the peak of the Dutchman’s first season in charge at Old Trafford.
Tonight’s game against Eddie Howe’s side is significant for different reasons and a win for the Geordies will put Ten Hag under even more pressure.
A new report from the Daily Mail claims that the United squad are unhappy with the Dutchman, which isn’t new when a manager is experiencing a barren run at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag’s approach
The report states that Ten Hag’s hardline approach, since joining in the summer of 2022, is causing the team togetherness to not be as strong as it was last season.
Jadon Sancho has been exiled from the United squad after he failed to apologise to the manager for his social media post, where he claims he was a scapegoat.
The squad were also alleged to be split with Ten Hag’s decision to banish Cristiano Ronaldo from the squad before he left.
The former Ajax boss was also forthright with his decision to recently drop Raphael Varane, but whether this is drastic enough for the players to be upset with the Dutchman remains to be seen.
Previous manager leaks
It’s fair to say that when things go wrong at Old Trafford, fans and the written media will know about it.
Whether it’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who lost the dressing room with Ronaldo reportedly questioning his leadership abilities according to The Athletic, or Ralf Rangnick, who also according to The Athletic, struggled to relate to the players, which left a cold atmosphere at the club, it is always the managers get the most stick.
Jose Mourinho’s hardline approach ruffled feathers too, and you sense there is a pattern being re-established with this latest report.
Now it seems yet another manager is facing the brunt of the blame at Old Trafford and it wouldn’t be surprising if the end result is the same as all of the other previous bosses at Old Trafford.
At some point, though, the blame must be on the players, several of who have seen multiple managers come and go.
Ten Hag has brought discipline to the team, he has spoken of trying to eradicate a rotten culture, but it now seems that discipline is beginning to grate on players.
Solskjaer was reportedly too nice, Rangnick wasn’t detailed enough with tactics, yet Ten Hag seemingly is good with tactics and is disciplined, yet he is not pleasing them either.
It’s time that the players deal with the repercussions of performances on the pitch. Ten Hag may not be blameless, but pointing the finger at him alone solves nothing. The squad should not get another free pass.
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