Sancho pulled no punches towards the United boss’ public criticism with his own response, with the ex-Borussia Dortmund star later excluded from the first team.

Lineker talks about Ten Hag’s unguided criticisms at United

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker spoke out about “player power things” after United’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle at St James’ Park on Saturday.

The Match of the Day host believes that Ten Hag has taken the wrong approach at United so far when it comes to his handling of criticisms aimed at some players.

“It’s hard to tell with these player power things but it felt like they downtooled a little bit at the weekend against Newcastle, that’s for sure,” Lineker said.

“They didn’t exactly put too much effort in.

“I mean, sometimes that can be confused with a lack of confidence and when you are losing your way on the pitch. But generally, it is the manager that suffers under these circumstances.

However, when it comes to player power, management has undoubtedly evolved in the modern era. Going public with players has always been frowned upon; you can’t just go about rubbing shoulders with players. Instead, you need the players’ support.

“I believe that is the one area where I would give Ten Hag some criticism—I don’t think he’s handled situations with different players very well.

“Although he’s faced many challenges, his constant criticism in an open and public manner is the one thing that was unacceptable, even during my playing career.

“It’s okay to bring any trash into the dressing room, but it’s strictly forbidden for a manager to publicly disparage you.”

Lineker overlooking how Ten Hag’s manage other issues

Lineker appeared to be unaware of Ten Hag’s more proactive stance when it came to certain of his United players, such as Sancho’s decision to take a leave of absence during the previous campaign.

After Sancho’s three-month layoff, the United manager put him back into the first squad and shielded him from harsh criticism.

Additionally, Ten Hag’s management of Marcus Rashford this season, following the United star’s nightclub visit after the Manchester derby, demonstrated excellent leadership.

After speaking with Rashford about the situation, the Dutchman made it quite evident how he felt, informing the media that the rest was a “internal matter.”

Although the tension between Ronaldo and Ten Hag was unique, it’s reasonable to conclude that the United manager has learned