Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has accused the club’s hierarchy of fueling a ‘toxic culture’.
Ten Hag, who was sacked in October 2024, has been forthright in his opinion of his former employers in a new interview with The Athletic, accusing the club of giving too much power to the players.
The 56-year-old had a number of high-profile spats with members of his squad during his two years in charge, including with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
He has now claimed he was not supported by the club in sanctions on matters of player discipline, with Ten Hag wielding a reputation as an authoritarian during his time in charge. Rashford, for example, was left out of the Dutchman’s starting line-up for a Premier League game against Wolves because he overslept and arrived late to a team meeting.
‘And so, they (the club) are continuing the toxic culture; they fuel it, they give the power to the players,’ Ten Hag told The Athletic.
‘Rashford is an amazing player, if his mindset is right. I always showed my trust in him, played him. But when you show these standards, sometimes you have to make corrections.’
Erik ten Hag had a number of high-profile spats with members of his squad during his two years in charge, the most high-profile with Cristiano Ronaldo
In a new interview with The Athletic, the former Manchester United boss has claimed that the club’s hierarchy have allowed player power to proliferate
Ten Hag’s most infamous spat came with Ronaldo, who claimed he had ‘no respect’ for the coach in a controversial interview with Piers Morgan in November 2022, which resulted in the Portugal forward’s exit.
In terms of Ronaldo’s influence on the dressing room, Ten Hag said: ‘Players have to act, they have a big responsibility. Football is, for some, not the highest priority. And United for some wasn’t the highest priority.’
Ten Hag’s comments are timely given it has been less than a week since Lisandro Martinez accused United’s hierarchy of a lack of investment in the squad over the summer and said that he expected more from ‘upstairs’, singling out technical director Jason Wilcox.
Despite refusing to comment on the Martinez situation, Ten Hag did accuse the former Real Madrid contingent – which included Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Casemiro – of introducing a power imbalance.
‘I can say I think that’s what the Madrid connection brought in, that players are powerful and they want to decide,’ he said. ‘In my opinion it didn’t suit the phase United was in. The leadership wanted attacking, dynamic football and these players wanted to play what fitted themselves.’
Casemiro came to United as the midfield strategist with ‘quarterback qualities’, added Ten Hag. ‘Then of course it looked like he got demotivated. I don’t know what they told him.’
Player power has come under scrutiny on several occasions since Sir Alex Ferguson, an unyielding disciplinarian, departed the club in 2013.
Ten Hag’s successor Ruben Amorim was forced to wield the axe on several occasions after his players challenged his authority during his time at the reins.
Ten Hag’s comments come a week after Lisandro Martinez accused United’s hierarchy of a lack of investment in the squad over the summer
Among them, Amorim claimed he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital in his team instead of Rashford unless the winger started to ‘give the maximum every day in training and in life’, a dispute which eventually led to the Englishman’s departure away on loan to Aston Villa and Barcelona.
Later, another academy graduate Alejandro Garnacho was told he could join a new club after he had questioned Amorim’s call to drop him from the starting line-up of their Europa League final against Tottenham last year.
Martinez, who publicly apologised for his comments last week, was handed a spot by Michael Carrick in the starting XI against Leeds at the weekend, where they could only manage a 1-1 draw.
Despite former United captain Wayne Rooney claiming that Martinez’s comments could rip the dressing room apart, Carrick has insisted that there is harmony.
Ahead of the Leeds game, Carrick said: ‘The squad today was in a fantastic place, better than I’ve seen it for a while actually.
‘We’re living it every day, we know what it feels like. We’re emotional, we’re passionate, we care a lot. Sometimes someone says something that maybe they shouldn’t say at a certain time, but that doesn’t distract us from what we’re creating here and the environment and the spirit within the group.
‘It’s not affected. I’m telling you as it is. We’re in a good place, and I’m really happy.’
