September 15, (THEWILL) – Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, has spoken openly about the poor culture he inherited when he first arrived at the club this summer.
In his inaugural press conference ahead of Saturday’s match against Brighton and Hove Albion, Ten Hag admitted that the club had asked him to establish stricter standards after a difficult 2022/2023 season. United finished third in the EPL table last season. There were high hopes that the return of Cristiano Ronaldo would ignite a title challenge, but the team failed to meet expectations under former manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Solskjaer’s successor, Ralf Rangnick, described the need for “open heart surgery” to fix underlying issues at the club. Since taking charge, Ten Hag has worked on that surgery, seeking to improve discipline and instil his philosophy. This has included dropping Ronaldo from the first team before his contract termination last month. Ten Hag has made it clear that no player is exempt from following the expected standards.
However, United have continued to face distractions off the pitch. Deadline day saw Mason Greenwood loaned out after assault accusations, while Antony requested leave recently, following similar allegations. Ten Hag declined to comment directly on winger, Jadon Sancho’s omission from the squad after an alleged dispute between the two. When asked about Sancho, Ten Hag reiterated the need for a “strict line” to improve the previous “no-good culture.” He stated that while one mistake does not warrant exclusion, consistently crossing lines would lead to strong action.
Ten Hag remains focused on upholding standards and developing a squad mentality. With a tough match against Brighton approaching, the manager will hope to translate his cultural vision into improved performances on the pitch. United currently sit 11th in the early EPL table after an inconsistent start to the 2023/2024 campaign with two losses and two wins in the first four ties.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
