Constant Ten Hag Speculation Affected United's 23/24 Form

Manchester United’s Harry Maguire has revealed that rumours regarding Erik ten Hag’s future impacted the team’s performances last season.

United concluded the Premier League season in eighth place but managed to finish their disappointing campaign on a positive note by defeating Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Securing a second trophy in two years was just enough for Ten Hag to stay in his position. However, Maguire noted that the ongoing speculation about the potential dismissal of the Dutch manager affected the team throughout the season.

“It was tough.”

“It probably did damage our performances and results throughout the season maybe a little bit. Especially when it happened around that Christmas period when we really did fall off. But credit to the manager, the way that he handled it.”

“It was so strange. No one really knew what was going on. No one had assurance.”

“If you asked the players, they’ll probably just say they didn’t really know because no one really had a clue. It was really impressive with the way that he handled that week with a victory against probably the best team in Europe at the moment.”

“He has shown we can beat the top teams and we have won two trophies in two years.”

“The first season was really good, last season wasn’t. Last season was tough for Erik as well. There was so much uncertainty and the amount of injuries was freakish really and I am pretty confident that won’t happen this season. We have faith in the management team and the additions he has made are really good as well,” said Maguire.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.