2023-12-05 15:00:00
Manchester United are not going to “let themselves be distracted” by “rumors”, coach Erik ten Hag promised on Tuesday, reacting to press reports claiming that part of the locker room had turned against him. “You should first address us and not write articles behind our backs, that’s not the right thing to do,” the Dutchman said on Tuesday during a press conference banned from four media outlets (ESPN, Sky , Manchester Evening News and the Mirror).
The English club accuses them of having published sensitive information without having sought to obtain a reaction from the club beforehand. “We believe this is an important principle to defend and we hope it can lead to a rethinking of the way we work together,” the Red Devils said in a statement.
Faced with the journalists present, ten Hag affirmed that, “no”, there is no rebellion within his locker room. “In every team, there are always players who play little or not who are less happy,” he explained. “But no, there’s no problem.” “There are a lot of rumors, but that doesn’t mean we’re getting distracted,” he added.
I always listen to my players
Several media outlets claim that ten Hag has lost the confidence of part of its squad, particularly after the tenth defeat of the season, in all competitions, conceded on Saturday to Newcastle (1-0). Players criticize him for his tactical approach and his management, sometimes considered authoritarian.
“I always listen to my players,” replied the coach. “And I always give them the opportunity to speak. If players have a different opinion (from his), I will of course listen. But they haven’t told me anything, or maybe one or two,” he said. he asserted. According to him, Manchester United is a team still “in transition” but which is going “in the right direction”. “We are really improving,” he insisted, arguing “you cannot produce such beautiful football, as recently, without unity”.
The Dutchman recognized a poor general performance against Newcastle, but mentioned the sequence of matches as a parameter to take into account. “We are not robots. When you play three matches in three days, difficult matches, fatigue can be a problem. It is never an excuse, but it is there,” he pleaded. Manchester United are seventh in the standings, five points from the top 4, before hosting Chelsea on Wednesday (9:15 p.m.) for the 15th day.
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