4
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reportedly believes many of his star players have been so affected by negative attitudes and criticism towards the squad that they have suffered injuries.
United endured a very disappointing 2023/24 season, which saw the team finish 8th, their lowest finish since 1989/90.
For much of the campaign, the Red Devils came under heavy scrutiny due to inconsistent results and performances.
United have often been criticized for lacking a recognized and consistent style of play, something that has put them out of favor with their rivals on many occasions.
Ten Hag almost paid the price for United’s disappointing results with his job, but ultimately Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS decided to stick with the Dutchman, who is now set to sign a new two-year contract.
But it wasn’t just Ten Hag who had problems. This was because he was unable to get help as a series of injuries kept his team out of rhythm.
United recorded 66 instances of injuries or illnesses that resulted in players missing matches last season. Ten Hag had to use more than 30 different defensive combinations with their backline depleted. At one point, Casemiro had to play several games in the centre-back role.
mirror Now we report on Ten Hag’s theory about the numerous injuries that have befallen the 20-time British champion.
According to the paper: “Erik Ten Hag believes some of his Manchester United players have been seriously affected by the negativity surrounding the club last season, leading to injuries.”
“Ten Hag believes that some of his team are not mentally strong enough to deal with the criticism that comes their way and that some are unable to overcome the pain barrier.”
“Ten Hag felt that a lot of the negativity surrounding United last season affected the minds of the players, leaving many of them unable to play due to some injury problems.”
The Mirror added: “Ten Hag is understood to have felt that way about striker Anthony Martial, who last played for United on December 9 last year, missing the rest of the season through injury.”
Manchester Evening News It also sheds light on how Ten Hag felt about Martial’s continued absence. This gave Rasmus Hojlund a huge workload in his first campaign in England.
MEN said, “Personally, he [Ten Hag] He was more critical and he was unhappy that Anthony Martial had lost support for most of the season to fellow striker Rasmus Hoslund.”
“When someone at Carrington half-jokingly suggested that Martial, who has scored 19 goals in the last four seasons for United, was injured, Ten Hag agreed.”
United paid an initial fee of £36 million to sign Martial from AS 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 appearances for Manchester United.
Want to be the first to hear breaking Manchester United news? Join our WhatsApp channel for hand-picked important updates. https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.
