Erik ten Hag warned that more journalists will face bans from Manchester United press conferences if they don’t “follow the protocols” after Wednesday’s win against Chelsea. The Dutchman doubled down on his stance, defending the decision to bar four high-profile organisations from Carrington on Tuesday.
A flurry of reports emerged at the start of the week claiming Ten Hag faced a dressing room revolt amid United’s poor start to the season.
One outlet claimed he was on “thin ice” at Old Trafford, while another stated he had lost as much as “50 per cent” of his squad.
A United statement confirmed that the organisations – the Manchester Evening News, ESPN, the Mirror and Sky Sports – had been sanctioned for failing to offer a right to reply.
And Ten addressed the decision during his press conference, accusing the organisations of going behind United’s back.
“They [journalists] should come to us first and not go around our back printing articles. That is not the right thing,” Ten Hag explained.
“I think we have another relationship. They can, they should come to us beforehand. We have a normal and professional discussion and debate about it.”
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United responded to their dire performance at Newcastle last weekend with one of their better displays this season against Chelsea.
Scott McTominay’s brace on either side of Cole Palmer’s strike handed Ten Hag’s side a 2-1 win at Old Trafford, and the hosts could have had a handful more goals.
After full-time, Ten Hag insisted the reports hadn’t affected him and made it clear that others would suffer the same fate if they went down a similar path.
He said: “It didn’t [affect me] because I know the truth. And you have seen the truth tonight.
“The club and me together [made the decision]. They have to follow the protocols. This is how we work together. And if they don’t do that, this happens.”
