Ten Hag sack: Disillusioned Man Utd players implore Ratcliffe to swing axe with ‘old school methods’ destroyed

Pressure is ramping up on Erik ten Hag as some of his Manchester United players have directly expressed concern about their season and are expecting Sir Jim Ratcliffe to make a change.

Manchester United have again endured a below par season that has seen them outside the Champions League places and struggling to qualify from their group in Europe’s biggest competition.

This has left a bad taste in the mouths of some players and now pressure is ramping up on the Dutchman.

A number of senior players have spoken to Ten Hag over the past week about the club’s performances and expressed concerns over the current trajectory of the team.

They believe they are falling behind rivals and at risk of being completely behind if there is not radical change.

Players have also been put off by the training sessions with some upset by the amount of running involved.

Sources state the players believe the sessions are not in line with the current game and view them as “old school” compared to what their rivals are doing on the grass daily.

There is also concern about squad selection with a split within the side about players who are being consistently picked.

Some believe the boss has “favourites” who do not deserve to be playing every week on current form. This is the view shared by the likes of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane who have both fallen out of favour with Ten Hag in recent months.

The United manager has banned Sancho from all first-team activities, including eating lunch with the first team.

That followed a public dispute on social media after Ten Hag criticised the Englishman’s performances on the training ground. Varane has been out of favour after the two fell out over squad selection.

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United players expect Ratcliffe to swing axe

Sources claim some players expect a change when Ratcliffe moves in to take sporting control of the club. A number of sources state some players are holding onto their Manchester United careers as they believe they will outlast Ten Hag at Old Trafford.

There has also been some discontent at the transfer activity of the club with Ten Hag recruiting players some believe are not at the level required to catch the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal.

Although it’s fair to say players who were already at the club have also been performing under expectations this season.

Ten Hag is in his second season in charge at the Theatre of Dreams but is now under severe pressure from his own dressing room. The axe is swinging above the 53-year-old and it’s his own squad who are wielding it.

Failure to beat Chelsea in midweek and Bournemouth at the weekend could see the dial ramped up and fan pressure meet with the concerns from within the squad.

Sources believe that the hierarchy see an early exit from the Champions League as a potential opportunity to make a change with the likes of Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi shortlisted as a potential replacement.

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