Ten Hag feels ‘let down’ by THREE Man Utd stars in particular as blame game for sack begins

Erik ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United on Monday and the club are already on the verge of replacing him, with Ruben Amorim set to take charge imminently.

The decision came after the Red Devils picked up just 11 points from their first nine games of the season – the worst start to a Premier League campaign in the club’s history.

Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes took to social media to pay tribute to Ten Hag, posting: “Thanks for everything boss. I appreciate the trust and the moments we share together, I wish you all the best in the future.”

According to the Daily Star, Ten Hag feels ‘let down’ by a number of senior players at Man Utd, with the report singling out Marcus Rashford, Antony and Casemiro.

Rashford has scored just one Premier League goal this season and looks a shadow of his former self when you consider how prolific he was in the 2022/23 campaign.

Ten Hag played a key role in bringing Antony to the club in an £86m deal in the summer of 2022 but the winger has failed to live up to his enormous price tag, netting only 12 goals in 87 appearances.

Casemiro, meanwhile, started well when he joined Man Utd from Real Madrid for around £60m (with add-ons) in 2022 but now looks nothing compared to the player he was at the Bernabeu.

BREAKING NEWS: Ruben Amorim to Man Utd gets ‘here we go’ confirmation, with compensation details revealed

Man Utd let downs all linked with exits

Rashford, Antony and Casemiro have certainly underperformed this season, although they aren’t the only Man Utd stars to be off the pace.

As previously reported, there is a good chance that Antony could follow Ten Hag out the exit door, with Red Devils chiefs keen to sell or loan him out this summer.

We understand that Amorim could look to replace Antony with Sporting CP winger Marcus Edwards should the £86m dud leave Old Trafford this winter.

Rashford, on the other hand, has also been linked with moves away from Man Utd in recent weeks. We understand that Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and Bayern Munich are all keeping tabs on his situation.

However, sources have informed TEAMtalk that Man Utd part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe views Rashford as one of the club’s most important players and wants to see him get back to his best again.

In fact, Man Utd are planning to offer Rashford a new contract to extend his deal beyond it’s current 2028 expiry.

One point the entirety of the Man Utd board seem to agree on is that Casemiro needs to go. They are keen to offload the 32-year-old in January as they do not feel his £350,000 per week wage reflects his performances on the pitch.

Clubs from the Saudi Pro League are interested in signing Casemiro but Man Utd may have to drop their asking price of around £25m to secure his sale.

Ruben Amorim transfer plans revealed – sources

As we exclusively revealed on Tuesday morning, Amorim has already discussed his transfer aims with the Man Utd board and has identified three Sporting CP players he’d like to bring with him to Old Trafford.

The Red Devil’s chiefs have told Amorim that they expect him to improve the players they already have, particularly new signings Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte, who he knows well.

We have already mentioned right-winger Edwards as one of Amorim’s transfer targets as he looks to bring in a replacement for Antony.

Amorim is keen to bring in a new centre-back, too, with Sporting star Goncalo Inacio at the top of his wish list. Inacio, 23, is considered to be one of the best young centre-backs in Europe and as previously reported, Liverpool also hold a concrete interest in him. He has a release clause of €60m (£51m / $64.8m) in his contract, which Sporting will demand in full.

Amorim would also like to bring Pedro Goncalves with him from Sporting but he will be the most difficult acquisition of the trio.

The Portuguese giants view Goncalves as a vital player and will demand a big fee for his services, and will not entertain his sale mid-season.

It is clear, though, that Amorim’s priorities in the transfer market will be to strengthen Man Utd’s options at centre-back and out wide, if he is appointed as expected.

READ MORE: Ranking every player Erik ten Hag signed for Man Utd from WORST to BEST

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