Paul Ince took his Reading side to Old Trafford in the FA Cup last month (Picture: Getty Images)
Paul Ince was disappointed by a perceived ‘lack of respect’ shown to him by Erik ten Hag and his staff when he took his Reading side to Manchester United in the FA Cup last month.
The former Red Devils star watched his side lose 3-1 at Old Trafford, and while things were perfectly friendly between the managers and staff on the touchline, Ince was expecting a bit more hospitality after the game.
The former England midfielder thought he would be sharing a drink with the opposition staff post-match, as traditions dictates, but never got the invite.
He did go and see his former manager Alex Ferguson for a post-game tipple, but thought it was disrespectful and disappointing that none of the current United staff offered him an invite for a glass of wine or a mug of tea.
‘I went straight up to see Sir Alex because I got a text from him afterwards to say “come up and see me”,’ Ince explained.
‘So myself, my wife and [son] Thomas went up there and spent an hour with him. It disappointed me because none of the United staff asked me in for a glass of wine. I didn’t like that, it’s a lack of respect.
‘Whoever it is, win, lose or draw, you say pop in for a drink. Whether it’s wine or tea it doesn’t really matter. None of their staff did that so that was disappointing.
‘I couldn’t give a monkey’s but I just pride it on myself, as a manager, whether or not you get beaten, you say come in for a glass of wine.’
Ten Hag is unlikely to be thinking about the issue as he prepares his United side for an extremely busy schedule coming up, starting with Crystal Palace at home in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
After beating Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday night, United have seven more matches by the end of February, including two legs against Barcelona in the Europa League.
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‘I didn’t like that, it’s a lack of respect.’
