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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reportedly believes that a number of his stars have been so affected by the negativity and criticism directed at the team that they have been hurt as a result.
United endured an extremely poor 2023/24 season in which the team finished in eighth position, their lowest finish since 1989/90.
For much of the campaign, the Red Devils have come under intense scrutiny for their inconsistent results and performances.
United have often been criticized for their lack of a recognized and coherent style of play – a factor that has seen them outplayed by their rivals on a number of occasions.
Ten Haag almost paid the price for United’s disappointing performances with his job, but in the end Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS decided to stick with the Dutchman, who is now in line for a new two-year deal.
It wasn’t all down to Ten Haag, though, as he wasn’t helped by persistent injuries that prevented his side from getting into any sort of rhythm.
United registered 66 separate cases of injury or illness which caused a player to miss matches last term. Ten Haag were forced to use more than 30 different defensive combinations with a decimated back line. At one point, Casemiro had to play a series of matches in the role of central defender.
The Mirror now reports on the theory held by Ten Hag regarding the spate of injuries that have hit the 20-time English champions.
According to the paper, “Erik ten Haag believes some of his Manchester United players were so affected by the negativity surrounding the club last season that it led to them being injured.”
“Ten Haag believes that a few of his team were not mentally tough enough to deal with the criticism that came their way, and some were unable to break through the pain barrier.”
“Ten Haag confided that he felt a lot of the negativity that surrounded United last season got into the players’ minds and left many of them unable to play with the slightest injury problem.”
The Mirror added: “Ten Haag is understood to have felt that way about striker Anthony Martial, who last played for United on December 9 last year, spending the rest of the season injured.”
The Manchester Evening News also shed light on how Ten Hag felt about Martial’s continued absence, which has left Rasmus Hojlund with a huge task in his first campaign in England.
The MEN says: “Privately he (Ten Haag) was more critical and was unhappy that Anthony Martial had deprived fellow striker Rasmus Hojlund of support for most of the season.”
“When someone at Carrington half-jokingly suggested that the oft-injured Martial, who has scored 19 goals in his last four seasons at United, should look for a career change, Ten Haag agreed.”
United shelled out an initial fee of £36m to sign Martial from Monaco in 2015. The Frenchman is set to leave Old Trafford at the end of this month when his contract expires.
Martial scored 90 goals in 317 games for United.
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