Erik ten Hag employs clever tactic to punish Man Utd players after ‘unprofessional’ Liverpool defeat

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is said to have employed a clever tactic to punish his players after Sunday’s embarrassing defeat to Liverpool.

The Red Devils were left red-faced at Anfield on Sunday, losing 7-0 to one of their biggest rivals. It was a result no one saw coming, with United going into the game in fine fom, while Liverpool have endured a frustrating campaign so far. But Jurgen Klopp’s men ran riot, while United all-but threw the towel in after conceding three goals shortly after half-time, going four goals down by the 50th minute.

It was a historically bad result for United, who got a reality check amid their superb recent form, and fans were left outraged. Ten Hag said after the game: “We didn’t stick to the plan, we lost our heads. We didn’t do our jobs. We didn’t track back and it was really unprofessional.”

For that, many expected Tan Hag to bring out the hairdryer treatment on his players, but The Mirror have reported that it was quite the opposite. It’s claimed Ten Hag forced the United players to sit in silence inside the away dressing room at Anfield after the game. The report claims the Red Devils stars had to sit there with their manager, listening to the wild celebrations taking place in the home dressing room across the hall.

An interesting tactic from Ten Hag, who will have wanted his players to feel the pain of the defeat. United still have a bright outlook for this season, but it isn’t the first time they have fallen apart away from home, with a heavy early-season defeat to Brentford producing some familiar sights.

Fortunately for United, they have the opportunity to bounce back quickly, facing Real Betis in the Europa League at Old Trafford on Thursday night.