Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, is reportedly planning to punish his players severely after their 7-0 defeat against Liverpool. The team’s performance was described as “unprofessional” and “unacceptable” by the manager, who was fuming after the game. He expressed his disappointment and anger for the fans, stating that the team cannot allow such a performance. He added that he saw 11 individuals losing their heads, which is not what Manchester United stands for, as they have higher standards. Ten Hag demanded a reaction from his players and began the response by arriving at Carrington at 7 am on Monday morning.
This is not the first time that Ten Hag has come down hard on the squad. Here are five other times he threw the book at Man Utd stars:
1. Brentford 13km run: In just his second game in charge, United suffered an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Brentford. The fuming boss made his players undergo an extra practice session that involved them running 13km (8.5 miles) in 33C heat. Ten Hag chose the distance because Brentford stars had run a total of 13km more than United during the match.
2. Garnacho’s pre-season telling off: Alejandro Garnacho almost blew his Man Utd career by turning up late for team meetings during pre-season. The winger was taken on the international tour to Thailand, but he did not play after twice turning up late for team meetings. Garnacho’s behaviour has improved, and he has netted five goals this campaign with him also set to earn a new contract.
3. Ronaldo dropped: Cristiano Ronaldo was axed by Ten Hag after he refused to come off the bench against Tottenham. The Portuguese hero stormed down the tunnel and left during the game. Ten Hag punished Ronaldo, demoting him to train with United’s Under 21-team and he left him out the squad for the next match versus Chelsea.
4. Ronaldo (again) after interview: Ronaldo was dropped after his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan, as he slammed the club from top to bottom and claimed he wasn’t respected by Ten Hag. He never played for the club again as Man Utd terminated his contract. A defiant Ten Hag sternly said he didn’t lose a wink of sleep over kicking Ronaldo out and insisted without tough rules a mess would be created.
5. Rashford benched for oversleeping: Marcus Rashford came off the bench to score the winner in United’s 1-0 win away at Wolves. He was surprisingly not included in the starting XI and he revealed afterwards it was due to punishment. Rashford admitted to being late for a team meeting because he overslept.
Ten Hag praised Rashford for his response to being penalised, saying: “Everyone has to match rules and values, and if you react like this, it is the right answer.”
Manchester United has upcoming games in March, and it remains to be seen how the team will respond to Ten Hag’s punishment and whether they can bounce back from their humiliating defeat against Liverpool.