Erik ten Hag had so much to get off his chest about his tumultuous Manchester United tenure that it could not be contained to just one explosive interview.
After tearing apart Cristiano Ronaldo’s work ethic, blaming Real Madrid’s cast-offs for the “toxic culture” at the club and fretting over his many missed transfers, Ten Hag still had so much more unloading to do.
The Dutch boss would belatedly finish his delayed debrief in a second interview with The Athletic which offered even more insight into his calamitous reign.
‘Very Weird’—How Jadon Sancho Forced Man Utd Into $115 Million Disaster
Jadon Sancho was always a point of controversy during Ten Hag’s tenure. The expensively acquired winger would eventually be shunned from first-team duties after refusing to apologize for publicly calling out his manager. However, just two days before the “scapegoat” debate unfolded, Sancho caused Ten Hag an even bigger issue.
The Dutch boss took the surprising approach of blaming Sancho for inadvertently forcing United to waste more than $115 million (£86 million) on the acquisition of Antony.
“There came up a problem because Sancho didn’t want to play on the right side; he said that,” Ten Hag explained. “Which was very weird; he played often on the right. He said he felt more comfortable on the left. So there we had an issue, and we were late.”
United hastily plowed forward with an eye-watering agreement which never came close to being value for money. During his two-and-a-half underwhelming years in Manchester, Antony mustered 12 goals in 96 appearances.
The Secret Reason Behind Man Utd’s Worst Season in 34 Years
According to Ten Hag, the real problems behind Manchester United’s dire 2023–24 campaign, which saw them slip to eighth, their worst top-flight finish in 34 years at the time, began before Antony had even been signed.
“The tour was so much expectation on the players,” Ten Hag fretted about a preseason schedule spent zig-zagging across the United States. “We got exhausted from all the kilometers. We started in New York, we played in Houston, we played in Vegas, went back, we gave them a couple of days off, and then we didn’t train proper tactical and physical work for 10 days because they were totally killed ... We were never fit.”
For a manager as dedicated to the details as Ten Hag—this is a man, after all, who emailed his players telling them what color socks to wear to team meals—having such a large part of preseason taken out of his control was always going to grate.
It didn’t help United’s players either. Injuries forced Ten Hag to constantly reshuffle his squad. Only two outfielders made more than 30 Premier League starts for the Red Devils that season. “So it’s almost impossible to get automatism in,” he lamented. “But I know at the top, it’s about the result.”
The Curious Case of Alejandro Garnacho
Ralf Rangnick gave Alejandro Garnacho his senior debut but it was Ten Hag who saw the mercurial winger blossom into one of United’s brightest talents. During the Dutch boss’s second (and final) full season at Old Trafford, a 19-year-old Garnacho cracked double digits for club goals while amassing an impressive 50 appearances. Little more than two years later, Garnacho is riding Aston Villa’s bench. “I regret where he is now,” Ten Hag admitted.
“He’s a character, you have to manage him, but I had a strong connection with him,” Ten Hag gushed. “But it’s also up to him, of course, but he needs a coach, a particular coach, who will give him trust, who will give him love. He needs the love, definitely. But he’s an amazing player. What’s so special about him is he can run all day, high volume at really high speed, all game, back and forward.
“Sometimes his head is not on defending. So mentally, his mindset, you have to make sure he is focused and disciplined and does the job every transition, but he’s capable of doing it and attacking-wise he can go forward and do incredible things, making dribbles, finishing. He can do the final pass, but sometimes he’s a little bit selfish.”
Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand’s Impact on Man Utd Players
The job of playing for Manchester United is unlike most other clubs. Not only do you have to deal with the all the stresses of the modern game, but his every decision is ruthlessly dissected by a bevy of former players who now serve as prominent media personalities in the sport. The likes of Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand, two trophy-laden defenders, were name-checked by Ten Hag.
“Sometimes it’s difficult for players,” the Dutch coach admitted. “Some of them get affected by it, get annoyed by it. They achieved massive successes.
“But also, they can help the club more, help the players more. There should be two ways that they support it. But I think always the thing you most love, you most criticize.”
Ten Hag had no issues himself with the talking heads. “It’s everywhere the same; they always want to protect their legacies,” he shrugged.
“It’s no different than Bayern Munich or Ajax; they do the same. But they are [part of United’s] history, and they do not always know what’s going on. Football evolves. For United, it’s clear: they had great contributions, they achieved massive results, trophies for the club and for themselves, so I respect them.”
What Marcus Rashford Needs to Reignite His Man Utd Career
For all his faults, Ten Hag was the Rashford whisperer. United’s divisive England international famously enjoyed the most prolific season of his career under the Dutchman’s watch, racking up 30 goals across all competitions in 2022–23.
Rather than taking sole credit for this uptick in form, Ten Hag pointed toward Rashford’s partnership with the oft-overlooked Wout Weghorst. The towering target man only spent six months on loan at Old Trafford but struck up a strong relationship with his spritely teammate. During the pair’s first 10 appearances together, Rashford racked up 11 goals and assists.
“Wout was one of the reasons Rashford was so important,” Ten Hag insisted.
“Wout did well for us; what he took out of his career is amazing. Like Marcel Sabitzer. We got success, winning the League Cup, third position; we were a team because they worked hard.”
Rashford’s current malaise at Manchester United has been largely put down to a nagging hip injury he sustained during the World Cup. However, Ten Hag’s suggestion that a traditional central focal point could get more out of the winger is an intriguing proposition.
Scathing Realism of Man Utd’s Premier League Aspirations
Ten Hag took United to third in his debut season before a slump to eighth yet remained bullish on how the club could have fared had he not been sacked in 2024. “We could have won the title if we had continued on building,” he claimed, with a straight face. “But in that time we were not consistent enough; the squad was not good enough to win it.”
After watching United slide all the way to 15th under Ruben Amorim prior to Michael Carrick’s salvage job last term, Ten Hag’s appraisal of United’s Premier League title chances has only hardened.
“Expectations at United are so huge, everyone is expecting the team to win the league every year. But be fair, United at that time, and also definitely two years after, are not able to win the league.” It’s hard to argue.
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