After completing the purchase of 27.7% of Manchester United shares in early 2024, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team initially sympathized with the problems Erik ten Hag faced. However, over time, they increasingly realized that there were problems related to the manager.
Ten Hag has overcome a long review at the end of last season thanks to the FA Cup. The victory over Manchester City was so shocking that they had to rush to arrange a post-match party without any prior plans. In addition, the lack of potential candidates also helps the Dutch strategist keep his job.
Ten Hag's disciplined approach was initially welcomed by veteran players who said the quality of the team had declined under caretaker coach Ralf Rangnick. However, some of his rules have caused more problems.
Most players agreed that Cristiano Ronaldo was wrong to refuse to come on as a substitute against Tottenham in October 2022. However, Ten Hag's punishment for CR7 seemed too harsh.
Ronaldo was initially ordered to train separately from the first team. The Portuguese striker even tried to go into the dressing room to get a pair of sneakers and was told by the staff that he was not allowed. The tension only ended when Ronaldo asked an academy player to come in to replace him. In that context, some veteran players see this comprehensive ban as an unnecessary humiliation.
The incident involving Ronaldo is really serious. Therefore, although CR7 left Old Trafford quite safely, the same situation with Jadon Sancho was not.
Sancho is a famous contract when it was announced on July 1, 2021. His appearance, after a great 4 years at Dortmund, is considered a boost for Man United in the interest of other top clubs. However, things quickly turned sour after a promising start.
A public argument broke out between the England striker and Ten Hag. Some teammates tried to encourage Sancho to apologize, but the situation became more and more prolonged, in the context of Ten Hag also being tough. Sources told ESPN that Ten Hag wanted Sancho to publicly apologize for the player's criticism on social media. However, some players see the request as an unnecessary humiliation.
Sancho's situation became increasingly embarrassing. The English striker returned to Dortmund on loan and played excellently. He scored against PSG in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final in April. At that time, Man United representatives sent messages to reputable experts asking them to stop talking about the striker's contribution. Because those news streams will not reflect well on the "Red Devils".
In the end, Ten Hag reluctantly let Sancho return to Old Trafford at the beginning of this season. However, in reality, the Dutch strategist felt that this would lose his authority. Finally, Sancho joined Chelsea on a loan deal.
