Erik ten Hag is under mounting pressure (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Erik ten Hag has hit back at reports over friction between himself and his Manchester United squad, though he admits ‘one or two’ have raised issues with his tactics.
The club banned four media outlets from today’s pre-Chelsea press conference after stories emanated over Ten Hag ‘losing’ sections of the dressing room.
Among other complaints, it’s said some United players doubt Ten Hag’s tactics, man-management and the calibre of his signings.
But, while Ten Hag admits ‘one or two’ are unhappy, he says he has the support of the majority of the dressing room.
Ten Hag insists he has the faith of the squad (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)
‘Of course there are always, in every team, players who are playing less who are not happy, but [that is] not different to normal,’ said Ten Hag.
‘You need that and they have to wait for their chance and they can come [into the team]. But no, there are no issues.
‘I listen always to my players and I always give them opportunities to tell [me]. And if the players have a different opinion, of course, I will listen. But they haven’t told me – maybe one or two – but it’s about, in general, the majority want to play like this. Proactive, dynamic, brave. That is what they want.
‘You can see the players are behind it because of the performances against Everton and Galatasaray, and we are improving. You see that [Garnacho] goal – do you think we can make a goal like we did against Everton if we didn’t embrace it? What do you think?’
Asked about the banning of journalists from the press conference, Ten Hag denied it ‘represented’ disorder at the club.
‘Not in the dressing room. I don’t know, of course there are rumours about the strategic review, but it’s not that we get distracted from it,’ said Ten Hag.
‘We are on the journey, on the road. We know we are in transition but we are in the right direction and you see it. How we construct the team, how we develop the team, how the team is progressing and the young players coming in and you see the potential and how they can contribute to a very successful Manchester United for the future.’
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The club banned four media outlets from today’s press conference.