
Manchester United
Premier League • England
Erik ten Hag told to ‘keep his mouth shut’ as Man Utd boss slammed over treatment of four Old Trafford stars

Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag has been heavily criticised for his treatment of two young Manchester United stars as well as two top players that he wanted to sell before turning to them in a crisis.
The Red Devils have struggled badly so far this season, currently sitting seventh in the Premier League, 10 points behind leaders Liverpool who they face on Sunday, while also crashing of Europe completely after a midweek Champions League loss to Bayern Munich.
Many pundits have United crashing to heavy defeat at Anfield on Sunday, particularly after their embarrassing 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth last time around.
However, Ten Hag has not been helped by a growing injury list, although former Premier League winner Tim Sherwood believes the Old Trafford chief should have leaned on two of the United‘s rising talents more than has done.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the former Blackburn star said: “I’m not sure the players know what the process is. I’m sure he [Ten Hag] does if he’s saying there is one.
“He makes all the right noises, he keeps himself very calm and he’s a good talker. He needs to get a performance out of his side because at the moment there’s no style of play. There’s no improving of any individuals.
“I scratch my head when I look at the boy Hannibal [Mejbri]. A couple of months ago, he got back in the team, was outstanding and left out as soon as a “superstar”, like [Sofyan] Amrabat or whoever, became fit.
“Kobbie Mainoo – who was outstanding when he came in – exactly the same has happened to him.”
Hannibal came off the bench to score his first United goal against Brighton back in September before playing the full 90 minutes in the win at Burnley next time out. However, since then has featured for just six minutes of league football and hasn’t even been in the squad for the last three outings.
As for Mainoo, he came back from a lengthy injury to put in superb display in the comfortable win at Everton in November but has made just one more start since then.
Ten Hag rationale also questioned
Sherwood also hit out at Ten Hag’s rationale, pointing out his determination to sell Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire last summer, with the duo arguably United’s best players this season.
“He’s had two players in Scott McTominay and Maguire who he wanted to get rid of and they’re the two who have really stood up and tried to get him out of the mire,” he added.
“He is having a real bad time of it at the moment and they’re getting away with it. You have to stop hiding behind the Glazers, you have to stop hiding behind the training ground, the holes in the roof at Old Trafford.
“It doesn’t matter. It matters in the long term, but the manager has to do his job and he has to get the best out of the individuals. The Glazers cannot be the scapegoats. It cannot be.
“When you lose to Bournemouth at home, it’s unacceptable no matter what team you put out. We know they’ve got injuries and they tell us about them all the time. Every single club in the Premier League has got injuries.
“Keep your mouth shut, work on the training pitch and get them players to perform for that badge. At the moment they’re not.”
United will face Liverpool without Maguire after the England defender went off injured against Bayern, although it’s not a long-term issue. Skipper Bruno Fernandes is also banned for the match, something he was heavily criticised for after picking up a fifth booking of the season against Bournemouth last weekend.
The Red Devils can, however, move back into the top six with a win on Merseyside, as tough as that might seem at the moment.
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