There appears to be a solid reason for Manchester United’s slump.
“The publication has spoken to a number of contacts within and linked to the club, all of whom wish to remain anonymous to protect their relationships with the club, and this is what we know about Eric ten Hague,” the British publication The Athletic reported on Wednesday, conveying the current mood within the club.
Van Gaal took over as United manager ahead of the 2022-23 season and enjoyed a modestly successful first year in charge, finishing third in the Premier League (PL), runner-up in the FA Cup, and winning the Carabao Cup. Van Gaal’s arrival was a much-anticipated savior for a club that had been in the doldrums since the retirement of Alex Ferguson.
However, he has struggled in his second year. After building a stronger squad with the likes of Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojbjerg, and Mason Mount, United have gotten off to a disappointing start to the season. Onana, who was brought in to replace David de Gea, has been shaky, making a string of embarrassing mistakes, while Hooper is still adjusting to life in the PL. United are also struggling for a number of reasons, including a disappointing performance from Casemiro, who was a key part of the team last season. Currently, United are eighth in the league and third in Group A of the UEFA Champions League (UCL). 캡틴토토 도메인
This is a 180-degree turnaround from last season. The atmosphere within the club seems to be having a significant impact on their performance. “There is growing unrest within the squad as some players are beginning to lose faith in Van Gaal. Ten Haag’s hard-nosed approach, which was widely praised and seen as a positive last season, is now seen as a problem and there are doubts about whether he will change this approach.”
Van Gaal is also being questioned by the squad over his selection of players. “Some players have questioned the manager’s decision to leave Rafael Varane out of the starting lineup against Manchester City in favor of Jonny Evans, while others believe he could have handled the situation differently when he left Jadon Sancho out of the team in September after questioning his training levels,” the media outlet reported.
Ten Haag personally also reportedly does not have a very close relationship with his players. According to the outlet, Ten Hagh does not have a close relationship with the squad and the perception of his lack of charisma is often mentioned among the players about this.
However, it does not appear that he has completely lost support. “Players who owe their careers to him, such as Onana, Anthony and Lisandro Marnites, will follow in his footsteps and hope that the current slump can be halted,” the outlet added.