Ten Hag has needed to take care of different robust conditions.
Proper firstly of his tenure, he needed to self-discipline Cristiano Ronaldo for leaving Outdated Trafford early after he had been changed at half-time throughout a pre-season recreation in opposition to Rayo Vallecano.
The transfer confirmed energy however set in place a series of occasions that will finally result in Ronaldo being kicked out of the membership following an incendiary interview with Piers Morgan when he stated Ten Hag “doesn’t present respect for me”.
Ten Hag used a lunch with journalists in Spain through the World Cup break to elucidate his pondering.
“When he’s in fine condition, he is an efficient participant and will assist us obtain the goals now we have, that’s fairly clear,” stated the Dutchman.
“However he wasn’t. I wished to work with him. He selected one other approach.”
Ten Hag disciplined Rashford shortly afterwards for lacking the beginning of a workforce assembly by leaving the England ahead on the bench for a recreation at Wolves. Rashford scored the winner after being launched instead.
Then there was Jadon Sancho, who was placed on a private health programme after United’s teaching employees famous his bodily stats have been dropping. When he was not noted of the squad for a defeat at Arsenal in September 2023, Ten Hag cited the England man’s poor efficiency in coaching.
Sancho instantly responded on social media by saying he was being made “a scapegoat”. Sancho deleted the put up however refused to apologise.
Ten Hag by no means picked him for one more Premier League recreation and whereas he did return to the squad throughout pre-season, on switch deadline day, he went on mortgage to Chelsea.
Final season, Ten Hag needed to wrestle with a crippling harm checklist, on which he had not all the time obtained one of the best recommendation. With Luke Shaw match, he was informed Tyrell Malacia can be out there inside a few weeks of the beginning of February final season, so Ten Hag opted to let his on mortgage left-back Sergio Reguilon return to Tottenham.
However Malacia was quickly to endure a serious setback in his restoration and Shaw suffered a hamstring harm at Luton on 18 February. Neither has performed a recreation for United since. Regardless of a bullish summer time assertion from the membership a couple of revamped medical division, at West Ham Ten Hag was with out seven senior gamers due to harm.
Nonetheless, sympathy can solely be prolonged thus far.
Ten Hag is a likeable man. On that pre-Christmas journey to Spain, he entertained the media over lunch with tales of his youth and early profession. In Los Angeles this summer time, arriving greater than an hour sooner than initially deliberate for a collection of interviews with UK media he laughed and joked with reporters and even supplied recommendation on one of the best locations to go for espresso close to his Cheshire residence.
On the latest Soccer Writers’ Dinner in Manchester, he hung round and spoke to journalists lengthy after he had collected his award for successful the FA Cup.
However through the season, in an official capability, Ten Hag’s communication was not nice. Some members of the media have been informed by United employees that Ten Hag most popular ‘blunt’ questions as a result of he discovered them simpler to know and reply.
The issue was, the solutions, more and more, didn’t stand as much as scrutiny.
Earlier than and after the worldwide break, Ten Hag spoke about being on the “identical web page” as United’s hierarchy. However for all of the bullish phrases it has appeared to be a query of when, not if, he would depart.
One supply, who has huge expertise at a senior degree at United, was shocked Ten Hag didn’t lose his job on the finish of final season. He was incredulous it didn’t occur sooner or later earlier than the October resumption.
However quite a few United figures, each out and in of Outdated Trafford, agreed with the sentiment that when the boulder begins to roll down the hill, it’s a matter of time earlier than it reaches the underside. Now it has.
Lots of United’s gamers shall be unhappy to see Ten Hag go.
In April 2023, the Daily Telegraph reported, external one of many explanation why Tottenham opted to not attempt to deliver Ten Hag in from Ajax to switch Jose Mourinho in 2021 was as a result of they felt he lacked charisma.
There is a component of that at United.
A number of sources have confirmed there was no large bust-up and no rising in poor health feeling. However there was no connection both. A scarcity of a primary understanding of what Ten Hag was attempting to realize.
A coach however not a communicator.