The first was to restore aging superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to the starting line-up after he was only on the bench against Brighton, which in turn facilitated the second change, which would see new signing Christian Eriksen end his brief, confused spell of as a false nine and instead of operating much deeper as a defensive midfielder. As a result, two positions were altered but only one player left the side beaten at Old Trafford — midfielder Scott McTominay. While the tactical plan was set on Wednesday, only 10 places in the starting line-up were clear for the players at the time because Ten Haag only settled on team captain Harry Maguire, rather than 2018 World Cup winner Raphael Varane, as Lisandro’s partner. Martinez. — another newcomer — in central defense on Thursday. In short, United worked for three full days on how to overcome one of the few teams in the Premier League to beat both home and away last season. It was quite surprising, therefore, that United were 4-0 up inside 35 minutes in a performance that their underperforming goalkeeper David de Gea later described as “horrible” and “unacceptable”. The 45-year-old Spain international, who has been at the club for 11 years, insisted on speaking to both broadcasters and print media afterwards to issue a profuse apology. Was at fault for Brentford’s first two goals. Ten Haag believes De Gea can play at the back despite his mistakes (Getty Images) Ten Haag, however, saw Saturday’s humiliation as a collective insult. He said United’s performance confirmed his conclusion last week that he had “a hell of a job” on his hands following a summer switch from Dutch champions Ajax. He admitted in a post-match press conference: “Brentford were hungrier for one-twos, we conceded goals with individual mistakes. You can have a good plan, but then you put the plan in the bin.” He had previously told an international television station that his team’s performance was “rubbish”. The aftershocks began there in west London on Saturday night and culminated in a canceled day for the players, a renewed frenzy over Ronaldo’s future, renewed questions about dressing room unity and even more pressure on the club going into the two last weeks. of the summer transfer market. Ten Haag made his feelings known to the players at half-time and then again at the end, before informing them that yesterday’s scheduled match had been cancelled. Instead, the squad, who arrived back home in the Manchester area at around 11pm after traveling from London, were told to report to the club’s training base in Carrington for 9am on Sunday, where his suspension Ten Haag continued. The coaching staff were embarrassed by statistics which showed United’s players ran a total distance of 95.6km in the match, compared to 109.4km for Brentford. As such, the Ten Hag staff organized a session – strictly a running session – which required every player, even those who didn’t start on Saturday, to run close enough to the 13.8km difference between the combined distances of the two teams during this additional training. conferences. While many fans unhappy with the fit of their players may cheer this tough approach, a sports scientist with experience of working at rival Premier League clubs described it as old school and said it was unusual to put players in a such rigorous training. in the morning after late afternoon. United sources insist their medical and sports science staff would not approve any training session that carries a high risk of injury and it is understood some players, because of the way injuries were managed, were vindicated. United’s players had stepped out in temperatures in excess of 34C for the game which kicked off at 5.30pm on Saturday and yesterday was another warm day in Manchester, albeit only in the mid-20s in the morning. Ten Hag clearly wanted to emphasize to his players that there is a way to lose in United colors and he will not tolerate his players being worn out by mediocre opponents like Brentford, who finished 13th last season in their first year as player. Premier League club. Sources close to the new United manager say his resolve has only been strengthened by these early setbacks and will challenge the players to improve. Ten Haag also made his feelings clear to his players during several meetings at Carrington after the run. Ten Haag ordered his players to go on a run after the defeat to Brentford (Getty Images) While the mood on Sunday was somber, several sources representing United players said they had been impressed by the manager’s discipline, attention to detail and methodology since arriving at the club. The reality, however, is that these traits have not translated into performances. The Athlete asked Brentford manager Thomas Frank how he instills that elusive hunger in his squad. He said: “We talked about it before the game but you can’t just say, ‘Oh, you can do it?’ It is a long strategy and communication. Generally my teams run a lot. We enforce the message that we must do it. It’s also about passing, but if you run more than the opponent, you have a very good chance of winning.” For Ten Haag, the debris of Saturday’s debacle required further unpacking and he sat down with his inner circle of aides to ponder the best way forward. Ten Hag’s main concern is the situation around Ronaldo, who missed United’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia with the club downing his absence to a family matter. Multiple reports suggest the 37-year-old forward wanted out of a club he only returned to last summer after 12 years playing in Spain and Italy amid fears United cannot meet his ambitions outside the Champions League – he will play in the Europa League this season after finishing sixth in May — and the lackluster pace of their work in the summer transfer market. Ronaldo, however, is yet to receive a serious offer from a club that has qualified for the Champions League, despite attempts by his representatives to tempt Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. Ten Haag, meanwhile, initially wanted United to go deeper and keep one of the game’s best players on their books. He believed that even at such an age, Ronaldo remains a world-class goalscorer they cannot afford to lose – he led United with 24 goals in all competitions last season, 14 clear of their next most prolific player. Ten Hag preferred to devote the bulk of his transfer kitty to bolstering his defense with the £47 million ($57 million) signing of Martinez from previous employers Ajax and the £14.4 million signing of full-back Tyrell Malacia from the Dutch rival of Feyenoord. The club also have a deal worth up to £71.9m in place with Barcelona for Dutch international ex-Ajax midfielder Frankie de Jong if they can only convince the player to reunite with Ten Haag in England. However, since returning from United’s tour, which saw good performances and strong unity among the traveling squad, Ronaldo’s reintegration into the squad has proved a challenge. Athletic have spoken of days where he eats lunch alone in Carrington’s canteen, while he has been seen clapping his hands in training and trying to argue against the new manager’s high-pressure approach. Both the club and Ronaldo’s representatives have been reached for comment. Several sources close to United, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their business relationships, argued that Ronaldo has more scope than his peers and has performed beyond his current contribution to the club. While United still have some official interest in Ronaldo, it is now believed that Ten Hag would be open to allowing the 189-cap Portugal captain to leave — but only if United recruit in the striker position, where he currently he is painfully out of options. . Ten Hag is open to Ronaldo leaving if United can recruit in attack (Getty Images) Ronaldo further angered his coaches and supporters when he failed to acknowledge the traveling United fans after the full-time whistle, despite assistant manager Steve McClaren appearing to urge him to join them. It has to be said that Ronaldo did take part in the running drills yesterday morning. It is not just Ronaldo who has raised eyebrows, with sources close to other United players surprised to see reports that his brother and compatriot Marcus Rashford’s representative had met with reigning French champions Paris Saint-Germain for talks in recent weeks. Rashford’s contract at Old Trafford expires at the end of this season, although United have the option to extend it for a further year. One ray of light, however, is that striker Anthony Martial, who missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury, is now training with the first team. As United continue to scour the market for options up front, Atletico Madrid’s Spain international Alvaro Morata, 29, has been touted as an option. They are also considering a move for Jamie Vardy, but Leicester are reluctant to let the 36-year-old former England striker leave. United have been linked with Espanyol’s Raul De Tomas, who has scored 45 goals in 89 appearances for the Barcelona club. Ten Hag’s problems, of course, extend far beyond Ronaldo’s future and…
