After completing their purchase of a 27.7% stake in Manchester United in early 2024, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team were initially sympathetic to the problems facing Erik ten Hag, but over time they have increasingly recognised the problems with the manager.
Ten Hag survived a lengthy evaluation at the end of last season thanks to the FA Cup win, a shock win over Manchester City that saw them hastily arrange an unplanned post-match party, and the lack of potential candidates also helped the Dutchman keep his job.
Ten Hag's disciplinary approach was initially welcomed by senior players, who felt the team had suffered under interim coach Ralf Rangnick, but some of his rules have caused further 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 enter the dressing room to get a pair of trainers and was told by staff that he was not allowed. The tension only ended when Ronaldo asked an academy player to come into the dressing room to replace him. In that context, some senior players saw the blanket ban as an unnecessary insult.
The incident involving Ronaldo was indeed very serious. Therefore, although CR7 left Old Trafford quite smoothly, the same situation with Jadon Sancho was not.
Sancho was a sensational signing when he was announced on July 1, 2021. His arrival, after four excellent years at Dortmund, was seen as a boost for United amid interest from other top clubs. However, things quickly went south after a promising start.
A public spat between the England striker and Ten Hag ensued. Some teammates tried to encourage Sancho to apologise, but the situation escalated as Ten Hag also became more adamant. Sources told ESPN that Ten Hag wanted Sancho to apologise publicly because the player had criticised him on social media. However, some players saw the request as an unnecessary insult.
Sancho’s situation has become increasingly embarrassing. The English striker returned to Dortmund on loan and has been excellent, scoring 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 such news streams would reflect poorly on the “Red Devils”.
Ten Hag was reluctant to let Sancho return to Old Trafford at the start of this season, but the Dutchman felt that this would undermine his authority. Sancho eventually joined Chelsea on loan.
