Erik ten Hag reportedly clashed with seven Manchester United players before being sacked, with many of them subsequently speaking out about their issues with the former Ajax manager.
Erik ten Hag has reportedly clashed with a whopping seven Manchester United players before his managerial reign ends in 2024. Among them was Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been vocal about his rift with the former United manager.
The 55-year-old tactician spent four-and-a-half years in charge at Ajax, with speculation mounting over a possible return to Amsterdam following the sacking of manager John Heitinga after his spell at Bayer Leverkusen ended. It’s been just over 12 months since Ten Hag and United went their separate ways, with Ruben Amorim stepping into the spotlight.
After his departure, claims surfaced that he had lost the trust of the team, with both players and supporters turning against him. Remarkably, some of his major stars had apparently lost complete confidence in his leadership. This time, Mirror Football takes a look at seven players who are said to have had major disagreements with the Dutchman.
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Cristiano Ronaldo
The most infamous bust-up is undoubtedly Ronaldo’s. The Real Madrid icon’s return to Old Trafford caused much excitement in 2021, and despite scoring 27 goals in 54 appearances, Ronaldo was released from United’s contract following a bombshell Piers Morgan sit-down in which he criticized both the club and The Hag.
The Dutch manager then revealed that Ronaldo “had to go” and the Portuguese superstar flew to Saudi Arabia to join Al Nasr, where he currently remains. In September 2024, the turmoil flared up again, with Ronaldo appearing on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast and declaring: “In my opinion, Manchester, they need to rebuild everything. The manager says they can’t compete to win the league and the Champions League.”
“Manchester United manager, you can’t say we’re not going to fight to win the league and the Champions League. You have to say in your mind, ‘Listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but you can’t say that. We’re going to try.'” You have to try. ”
harry maguire
Despite remaining at United, Maguire was on the verge of leaving the club under manager Ten Hag, but a move to West Ham United fell through in 2023. Maguire wore the captain’s armband when the former Ajax manager arrived at the club, but he subsequently lost the captaincy and was sold, resulting in an offer to move him to the London Stadium.
Maguire himself spoke out about the allegations surrounding Ten Hag’s management and suggested it was having a direct impact on his performance on the pitch. “It was tough,” he said. “That probably hurt our performance and results throughout the season.”
Zidane Iqbal
More than three years ago, during a training session in Australia, a video surfaced of Ten Hag berating youngster Zidane Iqbal for failing to keep the ball on the ground: “Put the ball on the floor… Zidane! Hey! Put the ball down! You bastard!”
Some experts may argue that this is not unusual in top-flight football, but despite showing potential, Iqbal was not given a single chance in the subsequent 2022/2023 season. He eventually joined Utrecht for £850,000, where he remains to this day.
jadon sancho
There was a time when Jadon Sancho seemed destined for greatness. The winger ignited the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund and ultimately achieved his dream move to United.
Nevertheless, things did not go well for the 25-year-old. He then spent loan spells at Chelsea and Aston Villa. Like Ronaldo, Sancho has also had a public disagreement with Ten Hag, who sacked the attacker for a “poor performance in training” against Arsenal.
Sancho responded via social media, claiming he was being used as a “scapegoat” and flatly refuting suggestions for substandard training, reportedly infuriating the United manager. As a result, he was loaned back to his former club Dortmund this season, but his situation at United remains unresolved.
anthony marchal
Like Sancho, Martial was previously hailed as one of football’s most promising players. However, the 29-year-old has not lived up to expectations.
The reason for Martial’s slump, who is currently trading with Monterrey in Mexico’s first division, is thought to be that he was excluded from United’s system. Throughout the 2023/2024 season, he was excluded from senior training sessions as part of Ten Hag’s team reform approach, despite battling illness.
Martial missed four games due to illness, but the former United manager deemed him unfit to play and imposed isolation training. His contract expired last year and he eventually joined AEK Athens for the next campaign.
marcus rashford
Despite being one of Ten Hag’s standout stars during their debut campaign, Rashford also felt the unforgiving nature of Ten Hag’s management. On New Year’s Eve 2022, United were playing away to Wolves. Rashford turned up to the team briefing 45 seconds later than scheduled and was immediately left out of the starting XI.
Still, he scored the winning goal in the 76th minute, coming on as a substitute. Rashford discussed the incident with Gary Neville on Overlap. “I wasn’t that late. He wasn’t being harsh. Late is late, but I was probably about 45 seconds late, or a minute late,” he said. “We already knew what was going to happen because of the rules he introduced in pre-season. Rules are rules and we have a game to win.”
David De Gea
David de Gea, one of United’s best shot-stoppers, saw his position in jeopardy upon Ten Hag’s arrival, and the Dutchman was looking for a replacement goalkeeper soon after his appointment.
Contract negotiations in 2023 did not go as expected and De Gea ultimately left United after 12 years at Old Trafford. It turns out that he currently plays for Fiorentina in Serie A.
Ten Hag then signed former Ajax player Andre Onana to replace De Gea, but the move did not go as expected and Onana is now on loan at Trabzonspor.
Supporters speculated that De Gea was celebrating Ten Hag’s departure from United last year when he shared a cryptic post on social media featuring a pinched finger emoji.
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