Erik ten Hag is reportedly vying for the support of the Manchester United locker room following the club’s tenth loss of the season. On Saturday, United suffered a 1-0 loss at St. James’s Park to Newcastle United, but the visitors’ lackluster performance generated more concern than the score.
Under Ten Hag, the club ended a six-year trophy hiatus with the Carabao Cup and secured a Champions League return by finishing third in the Premier League. It was a triumphant debut season.
United began this season with a 31-game unblemished home run, having suffered just two losses at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag recently matched the 118-year record set by Ernest Mangnall by winning his first 50 games as Red Devils manager in just 79 games.
However, the realities of this season cannot always be eclipsed by the larger picture. In actuality, United have exhibited the appearance of a squad looking forward to the dismissal of its fifth manager since Sir Alex Ferguson.
With one game remaining, United are seventh in the Premier League, nine points behind leaders Arsenal, and at the bottom of their Champions League group.
They will not even be eliminated from the Europa League if they lose at Old Trafford to Bayern Munich, who are unblemished in 39 group-stage contests.
In a rematch of the February final, a 3-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United also ended United’s Carabao Cup defense in the fourth round.
According to reports, Ten Hag is in grave danger of regressing in his second season at Old Trafford, and the situation is reportedly affecting the locker room.
ESPN reports that the Dutchman is encountering difficulty retaining his squad’s support, as two players have reportedly lodged private complaints.
The rigorous training regimen that Ten Hag has undergone since the club’s preseason tour of the United States has been considered a significant concern.
They may be attributable to United’s ongoing injury issues this season. A minimum of twenty senior players have been sidelined for a game due to illness or injury.
According to the report, a portion of Ten Hag’s squad has deemed his strategies cavalier because they have rendered the team susceptible to attempts on goal.
Following an initial 18-month tenure imbued with stringent discipline, Ten Hag has implemented measures to restore the confidence of his players.
He allegedly endeavored to defend players such as Marcus Rashford and Andre Onana in public, despite their subpar performances.
However, given the upcoming matches against Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Aston Villa this month, Ten Hag’s greatest obstacle will be to ensure a turnaround in results to prevent the situation from escalating further.