According to a report, members of Manchester United’s first-team squad anticipate the likelihood of manager Erik ten Hag being sacked this summer.
Ten Hag is facing escalating pressure in the Old Trafford managerial position, particularly after a disappointing 2023/24 season so far. Despite guiding the Red Devils to success in the Carabao Cup and a third-place finish in the Premier League in his inaugural 2022/23 campaign, this season has seen United struggle. The team has grappled with 47 instances of injury and illness among the first-team players, coupled with lackluster on-field performances and diminishing prospects of securing Champions League qualification.
While Ten Hag still has some support within the dressing room, there is a belief among players that the new club stakeholders, INEOS, will seek to appoint a new manager for the 2024/25 season, as reported by the Daily Mail.
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Although Ten Hag has publicly asserted that he enjoys the backing of INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, privately, he has admitted to a lack of assurances about his long-term future. United had initially planned to review Ten Hag’s position at the season’s end, especially following the appointment of CEO Omar Berrada and the anticipated arrival of Dan Ashworth from Newcastle.
The possibility of salvaging Ten Hag’s standing at the club remains if he secures victory in the FA Cup—United faces rivals Liverpool in the quarter-finals—and if they somehow manage to secure Champions League qualification, a challenging task as they try to leapfrog Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur in the league standings.
The players reportedly harbor concerns about the intensity of training sessions and what is described as ‘the hard-line approach’ from Ten Hag and his lead assistant Mitchell van der Gaag. Some players are reportedly disgruntled over not being granted an extra day off after their recent victory at Luton, as corroborated by the Manchester Evening News.