Pained Ten Hag takes brutal swipe at Man Utd stars as Dutchman reveals true reality of sacking

Erik ten Hag has taken a swipe at the difficulty he faced with managing Manchester United’s pampered stars and having indicated why he is in no hurry to return to management again after opening up on his time in the Old Trafford hotseat.

The Dutchman spent just over two years in charge of the Red Devils, leading them on 128 occasions and winning both the FA Cup and League Cup to make him the joint-most successful manager, alongside Jose Mourinho, for the Red Devils since Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign. But despite winning 70 of his games in charge – giving him a 54.69% win record – Ten Hag fell on his sword in October after an inconsistent start to the season for Manchester United that left the club down in 14th place.

Ten Hag‘s reign was fraught with difficulties, though, having several disputes with several leading players.

And now the Dutchman has opened up on those disputes, the reality of managing modern-day stars and why he may never return to management in a no-holds-barred interview.

“This generation usually find it difficult to deal with criticism. Criticism really gets to them,” Ten Hag told SEG Stories on Dutch TV.

“The generation that I grew up in had much thicker skin. You could be much more direct.

“I was approached much more directly. If I would do that with my current group of players I would demotivate them.

“If you do that to the current generation they find it offensive.”

Ten Hag did not reveal the players by name, but it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out who he was referring to, with Cristiano Ronaldo having his contract terminated after a TV interview with Piers Morgan criticising several aspects of the club. Jadon Sancho also suffered a high-profile falling out with his manager, before being loaned out to Borussia Dortmund and ultimately Chelsea.

Ten Hag was also forced to discipline Marcus Rashford after the forward missed a training session following an unauthorised trip to Belfast.

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Ten Hag on what happens next and on praise for young Man Utd duo

Former United defender Raphael Varane last week admitted his surprise at the club giving Ten Hag a new contract in the summer after claiming his connection with the players “no longer existed”.

However, Ten Hag has disputed those suggestions and feels he deserves credit for helping the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho become established stars.

He said managers “have to show them (modern players) more love”.

“With this generation, you choose different words and a different approach,” he said.

“(Sir Alex) Ferguson also belonged to the previous generation. With that generation, you could be much more direct in your communication and approach.

“A player of this generation will feel ridiculed if you approach them like that.”

Sources had told TEAMtalk earlier this month that Ten Hag was the subject of approaches from clubs in Major League Soccer, but the 55-year-old appears in no hurry to get back into top-tier management and having also sent United fans a message of thanks for their support.

“What makes the Manchester United fans so special is that they stand by the team even in the face of setbacks,” said Ten Hag.

“I was appreciated and I always felt that when I walked the streets of Manchester.”

Man Utd latest: Ashworth replacement found; double £82.9m deal ON

Meanwhile, United are reported to have finalised the appointment of Dan Ashworth’s replacement on what has been described as a ‘multi-year contract’ and with his successor agreeing to a drastic salary cut in a week when the club were forced to announce more redundancies.

The appointment of the recruitment director has also seemingly been approved by Ruben Amorim and it seems work is already being done on what is likely to be another significant squad rebuild at Old Trafford this summer.

To kick things off, United are reported to have lined up a brilliant £82.9m double deal – with the first of those signings already greenlighting his move.

And finally, Fabrizio Romano has shared what he’s been hearing amid claims Inter Milan are exploring a move for a rarely-seen Manchester United star.

IN-PROFILE: Ten Hag’s record at Man Utd by numbers