‘They are in the wrong place’ - Erik ten Hag sends stark warning to Man Utd squad

Erik ten Hag has reminded his Manchester United players of the consequences of underperforming, and warned the squad that they’re ‘in the wrong place’ if they lack hunger.

The Red Devils put in a subpar showing on Sunday as they were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Newcastle United, with Ten Hag and Luke Shaw claiming after the game that the Magpies ‘wanted it more’. It’s a concerning development for United, who have made so much good progress this season. The Red Devils put in lacklustre displays against Brentford, Manchester City and Aston Villa before the World Cup and, following a prolonged run of good form, have seen underwhelming displays begin to creep back in.

United lost 7-0 at Anfield last month and struggled in the early stages against Leicester City West Ham United and Fulham, although they did come back to win the latter three. But Ten Hag has warned his squad that he will accept a drop in standards.

“I agree we dropped, we returned to old habits [against Newcastle] but I also know there are fluctuations. People are not robots but we have to act as robots,” he said ahead of United’s clash with Brentford on Wednesday. “We have to act as machines, we have to expect and demand of our players that they match the standards so when we are not doing we are disappointed because that is our job.”

Asked if he feels United can be ‘machines’, Ten Hag responded: “Yeah because we have shown so many games we did it. It was tough; [we have] very strong belief, very strong confidence and passion and togetherness, and have shown it in many games and big games.

“We have shown we can win the games but you have to do it in every game because that is the demand on the top players, that is the expectation that Manchester United has and our fans have from our team and players, so they have to do it. When they can’t get this [hunger], then they are in the wrong place.”

Ten Hag also rejected Rio Ferdinand’s suggestion that United have ‘downed tools’ since winning the Carabao Cup in February, with the team failing to score in all three Premier League matches since. However, the United boss pointed to the club’s cup successes in March as a sign the team are still fighting.

“I think we also after the Carabao Cup we won many games, we beat in a really good performance Betis, we beat West Ham United also. We had also good performances.

“We had a tough programme but now they have had their rest and it is unacceptable and I don’t accept it. We are in the final stage of the season so you have to be physically and mentally fit and that is the responsibility of everyone in the team. Everyone must stick together and stick to the plan.

“I trust my players to give good performances and get the best results,” he added. “They have shown it so many times: Arsenal home, Liverpool home, [Manchester] City home, Barcelona twice, so they can do it so don’t talk about what is coming after.”