Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag insists his players are still fully behind him following reports he had lost the dressing room. The Dutchman has issued a defiant response and believes the squad has what it takes to turn things around.
United banned some journalists from attending Ten Hag’s press conference on Tuesday ahead of the midweek Premier League match at Chelsea. That came after some stories claimed the squad had lost faith in the 53-year-old.
The Red Devils released a statement confirming that they had taken action because the organisations in question did not contact them before releasing the story. The statement neither confirmed nor denied the reports.
But Ten Hag has come out fighting, insisting his players are still on his side. He claims recent good performances would not have been possible if that wasn’t the case.
Asked if he still feels the support of the players, Ten Hag said: “Oh yes, I am sure, you can see for instance the comeback against Brentford, the Burnley game, the Fulham game, every time the team is there, showed great character, great determination, resilience so we are together. You can see you can’t play such great football as we did recently without unity.”
Sky Sports claimed this week that some players have questioned Ten Hag’s style of play, as well as his treatment of Jadon Sancho who has been frozen out since September. Senior players are also said to have spoken to Ten Hag about his man-management style.
But he claims, despite the rumours, there are no issues. “Not in the dressing room,” he added. “Of course there are a lot of rumours but it is not that we get distracted by it.
“We are on a journey, a route, we know we are in transition but we are in the right direction, we construct a team, develop it, the team is progressing, young players coming in and you see the potential how they can contribute to a successful Manchester United team for the future.”
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