I don't see trust between Ten Hag and Man Utd players - he's facing a huge week

15 October 2023 , 05:00

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I don't see trust between Ten Hag and Man Utd players - he's facing a huge week

It was clear Erik ten Hag was under massive pressure before the international break, and I fear he would have been in deep trouble without those two Scott McTominay dramatic late goals.

You get these moments in football history that prove incredible turning points. When I was a kid it was Adrian Heath’s goal at Oxford in the League Cup that saved Howard Kendall’s Everton job.

There was Mark Robins too, and without his goal at Forest in the FA Cup, Alex Ferguson would have been sacked by Manchester United. Both managers went on to greatness in their field, so Ten Hag must believe in that sort of mythology. And at least McTominay’s contribution had the required drama.

But one fortunate win through two late goals from a player whom the manager seems to have actually bombed out doesn’t change the pressure. Only consistent results do. And Ten Hag is facing a huge week in that respect.

Manchester United couldn’t have a worse game back after the international break, and so the pressure returns immediately. Promoted Sheffield United under the Saturday night lights… with a hostile crowd baying for blood.

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It’s a no-win because Ten Hag is expected to beat them - and that’s the point. At United, the expectation is to win virtually every game. The standards of their history make that a requirement, even if they haven’t won a trophy in a few years.

And I wonder if that is the problem. The Dutchman has managed Ajax, but with all respect to that great club, it’s not Old Trafford. Yes, there is an expectation to win there, but there is not the same level of forensic scrutiny.

By that I mean the whole media circus surrounding United. Not just the papers and TV, but also social media, which gives a voice to millions… and allows players far more power in their relationships with their managers these days.

Look, we all know it happens. There is PR support around the ‘reputation’ of all top players these days, and when something threatens that reputation, then it goes into overdrive.

So leaks are common… and even though we can’t say for certain it is happening, I think we know it does, because it’s the world we live in, not just football clubs.

So Ten Hag’s treatment of Jadon Sancho, for instance, would have been fine in the Ferguson era - he bombed a few out in his time. But he very rarely went public with anything, and neither did the players.

Here it’s all played out in public, and I think that’s a mistake. The United squad is looking at it, and thinking about their manager ‘You say it is all about us being in this together, but the first chance you get, you throw one of us under the bus’.

Erik ten Hag is under pressure at Man United (Michael Regan/The FA)

I’m not talking about the rights and wrongs of this particular case - that actually doesn’t matter. It’s about that trust between manager and players, and looking from the outside, I don’t see it there at Old Trafford.‌

United is a strange beast. We’ve seen it with certain players who go there and can’t handle the massive pressure that comes with the territory. The same can apply to managers, and I wonder if Ten Hag has got a grip on that yet?

Like I say, he’s never had it in his career, so it’s a brutal school to learn in. Coming back to his situation though, it really is about consistent results in the end.

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He did well last season, handled the Cristiano Ronaldo situation pretty well, and seemed to be doing the right things. But now things have gone against him, there will be no leeway, no honeymoon period. It’s results and nothing else.

So Sheffield United is a massive game. And a horrible one. Then it’s the Champions League and a home game against a smaller club in Copenhagen when United have conceded seven goals in their two games so far.

And after that? Only Manchester City. All in the space of eight days. So it’s a huge week for Ten Hag, and if anyone was thinking the win over Brentford has given him breathing space, then think again.

Robbie Fowler