2
There’s trouble brewing at Manchester United.
A season that started full of expectation after manager Erik ten Hag’s successful first year in charge got off to an awful start and, despite brief mini-revivals, has gone from bad to worse.
Back in December, as United faced humiliating elimination from the Champions League, Scott McTominay sat next to Ten Hag at a press conference and defended his manager, saying:
“It’s not just a case like with some of the other managers where it’s been a little bit toxic at times.
“The boys are firmly behind the manager. That’s the be-all and end-all and the way it will remain. We’ve got an amazing coaching staff, as well.”
Well, even at that time, McTominay could surely not be including Jadon Sancho, who had been sent to Coventry after a spat with Ten Hag. But by and large, the rest seemed to be true, or at least, nobody had any reason to doubt it (other than those who might accuse the Scot of being a sycophant).
All evidence is now to the contrary and one of the few things that would potentially save Ten Hag’s job – his strong working relationship with the team – seems to be unravelling quicker than a Harry Maguire party night in Mykonos.
Following Saturday’s bore draw with Bournemouth, Alejandro Garnacho made the headlines by liking two posts from Nottingham Forest fan Brent Di Cesare (stage name Mark Goldbridge) criticising the Dutchman for substituting the young star at half time.
Bruno Fernandes was also seen wagging his finger at Ten Hag in a disagreement over goalkeeper distribution.
Furthermore, rumours emerged that winger Antony had been left out of the squad for being unhappy that he was not in the starting XI. This was roundly refuted by the club, not to mention the aforementioned Antony-loving Nottingham Forest fan, but many believe that this was a case of no smoke without fire.
It has subsequently emerged that yet another United star, Amad, has also taken to social media to post a cryptic emoji that will surely be taken as a dig at the manager.
Amad’s Instagram post, relayed by Goal.com, shows him applauding the United fans after the Bournemouth game along with a zipped mouth emoji 🤐.
It could of course mean anything but given previous reports that the Ivorian, too, has felt deprived of sufficient game time by Ten Hag this season, it is not surprising that people would draw the obvious conclusion.
Add these incidents to those already swept under the carpet with loan deals, such as Sancho and also Facu Pellistri, whose agent has been very vocal about broken promises from Ten Hag, and this is not a picture of a happy dressing room.
The 54 year old himself showed the first signs of pressure this weekend, too, when he stormed out of the post-match press conference.
New part-owners INEOS, who have full control over football matters, are reportedly planning to leave it to the end of the season before making a decision on Ten Hag’s future. However, anything other than victory in the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City on Sunday could see the wheels well and truly come off the bus, given the growing sense of mutiny around the club.
Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.