Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United reign has hit another low after being told that his players lack respect for him amid the recent run of poor form.
The Red Devils have lost six league games already this term, as well as being dumped out of the Carabao Cup and on the verge of Champions League elimination. As a result, the pressure on Ten Hag is starting to mount and off-field issues are not going away any time soon.
The United boss fell out with £73million man Jadon Sancho earlier on this season after publicly questioning the England international’s desire in training. In turn, the former Borussia Dortmund star hasn’t been seen in a United shirt since late August and his long-term future at the club is in doubt.
Maintaining discipline in the dressing room appears to be an issue for Ten Hag. During last Saturday’s defeat at Newcastle, the United boss was spotted in a heated shouting match with forward Anthony Martial, who clearly took issue with something his manager said.
The public nature of these fall-outs would suggest that Ten Hag’s standing in the eyes of the United squad has taken a dent, that is at least according to ex-Red Devil Tim Howard. The former United goalkeeper told NBC: “Players will take any excuse to bottle it, they’ll take any excuse to say it’s not my fault.
“And at United, it’s been that way for a very long time. We’ve spoken to Bruno Fernandes, twice, and he told us, straight up, he’s [Ten Hag] a disciplinarian, he wants us to be on time, he wants us to do what he says.
“And we thought ‘oh wow, we kind of like this guy’. We sat back we watched and listened how are you going to handle this monumental situation that is Cristiano Ronaldo – he handled it well. But since then he’s fallen out with Varane, Maguire, Rashford, Sancho, Martial.
“And I’m thinking I’ve played for teams under Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes, big personalities. You know, they have one or two example-making moments and then everyone else falls in line. They don’t continually fall out with players. So I think there’s a lack of respect there.”
Up next for United is the visit of Chelsea on Wednesday, where anything less than a win will only increase the scrutinty surrounding Ten Hag’s role in the Old Trafford hot seat.