Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is said to be one of the players who have lost faith in manager Erik ten Hag’s methods, leading to rumors of a dressing room revolt.
Ten Hag, who joined United as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s permanent successor, had an impressive resume with Ajax, including leading the team to the semi-finals of the 2018-19 Champions League and winning three Eredivisie titles.
In his first season at Old Trafford, Ten Hag guided Manchester United to a third-placed finish in the Premier League, securing their return to the Champions League.
He also ended the club’s six-year trophy drought by winning the EFL Cup. However, the Dutchman’s strict and authoritarian approach has reportedly caused unrest among the players.
The 2023-24 season has been challenging for Manchester United, with the team losing seven of their first 16 Premier League games and failing to defend their EFL Cup crown.
They have also lost three of their five Champions League matches and face the risk of elimination if there is a winner in Galatasaray and Copenhagen’s upcoming match.
While Ten Hag is not currently in immediate danger of being sacked, rumors suggest that some players blame his intense training regime for the team’s disappointing results. Despite this, the majority of players still support him and believe he can turn the club’s fortunes around.
However, according to Football Insider, Marcus Rashford is part of a group of players who have lost faith in Ten Hag.
The Englishman has criticized the manager’s tactics and training methods. Rashford, who had an impressive season last year with 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 games, has struggled this season, managing only two goals and four assists in 20 matches.
Rashford’s performance in Manchester United’s recent loss to Newcastle United was heavily criticized, leading to his benching in the team’s last two Premier League matches against Chelsea and Bournemouth. It remains to be seen if he will be included in the lineup for the upcoming Champions League match against Bayern Munich.
This is not the first time Rashford has clashed with Ten Hag. In December, he was dropped from the starting lineup for being late to a team meeting but ended up scoring the winning goal after coming off the bench.
Other high-profile players, such as Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, have also fallen out of favor under Ten Hag.
Sancho was banished from the first-team group after a dispute with the manager, while Varane has lost his starting spot to Harry Maguire.
Despite the reported unrest, there are no indications that Rashford or Varane are seeking an exit from the club during the January transfer window.
The situation at Manchester United remains uncertain, and it remains to be seen how Ten Hag will address the dressing room issues and turn the team’s fortunes around.