All eyes were on Erik ten Hag to steer Manchester United back to greatness at the English top-flight and European club football competition following his impressive first season in charge. The Dutchman famously guided the Red Devils to win their first silverware in more than half a decade, in additions to a third-placed finish in the English Premier League as well as a run to the FA Cup Final last year. Nevertheless, things did not turn out as what expected in Erik ten Hag’s second season as the Manchester United gaffer, and reports have indicated that the 53-year-old Erik ten Hag has already lost half of the Manchester United dressing room due to their poor performances of late.
Knocked Out of the EFL Cup, Seventh in the Premier League and Bottom of Group A in the Champions League
The Erik ten Hag-led Manchester United have pretty much gone backwards in their endeavours in 2023/2024. Apart from a failed title defence campaign in the EFL Cup that saw them being eliminated in the Round of 16 by last season’s Final opponents Newcastle United, the Red Devils are also only seventh in the Premier League table as well as the bottom of Group A in the UEFA Champions League.
If we take a deeper look at the statistics of Erik ten Hag’s side, their mediocre defensive backline and attacking lineup have failed everyone at Manchester United, with 34 goals conceded and only 31 goals scored in 17 matches in all competitions thus far. With the season has not even crossed the half-way line, it looks like Erik ten Hag will have everything to do to save Manchester United’s year and his managerial career at the Red Devils, but things will only get harder and harder for the Dutchman due to a surfaced source that told experts that Erik ten Hag has lost half of his dressing room at Old Trafford.
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Kaveh Solhekol: “One Source Tells Me That He’s Lost About 50 Per Cent of the Dressing Room.”
Kaveh Solhekol, English sports journalist, spoke about Erik ten Hag’s current situation at Old Trafford. “My information is that some of the players are confused with what is happening. He has lost elements of the dressing room. One source tells me that he’s lost about 50 per cent of the dressing room. Quite a few players are unhappy with the style of play, they also feel that they’re training too hard and that they’re running too much during training. I was told that the players don’t know what they’re running for.”
Besides, the source told the sport television presenter for Sky Sports that players thought Erik ten Hag’s management style has been “Rigid” and “Stubborn” despite their opinions being shared, saying “Also, some senior players have spoken to Erik ten Hag about where they feel the club is going wrong. They’ve spoken to him about their other experiences of playing for big clubs, and they feel that the manager should be a little bit more touchy-feely. I’ve also been told that a few of the players believe that he is too set in his ways and he’s too robotic”.
Solhekol also shed light that Jadon Sancho’s public feud with Erik ten Hag has not only taken a toll on the England international, but many others in the squad, as they felt that he did not deserve the mistreatment. “He’s (Sancho) got people in the dressing room who are close to him and he’s been totally frozen out because he’s refused to apologise to Erik ten Hag. He’s training with the kids and he’s eating on his own. Quite a few of the players feel like that has gone too far. There’s always unhappy people in a dressing room, but when you’re losing games, there are even more of them,” said the sports journalist.
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Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United to Host Chelsea at Old Trafford
If the report is true that Erik ten Hag has lost half of his dressing room at Old Trafford, then the next few games in the remainder of the calendar year of 2023 could decide the Dutchman’s fate as the Manchester United gaffer. Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils will be welcoming Chelsea to the Theatre of Dreams on Wednesday night for their Matchday 15 fixture in the English top-flight football, and you can click here to find out how you can watch the game live without paying a single cent!
But before you dive yourself into the livestream channel that we have provided, leave us your prediction for the Manchester United-Chelsea match as well as your thoughts on Erik ten Hag’s tenure as the Manchester United head coach.