Erik ten Hag in trouble? Man Utd boss rapidly losing support of key players in the dressing room after 10th defeat of the season against Newcastle

ESPN reports that ten Hag is struggling to keep his key players onside at Old Trafford after their 10th league defeat of the season. A disillusioned group of players have raised concerns, particularly in terms of intense training sessions and tactics that are deemed too attacking. Ten Hag has also notably praised players in public, with his staff believing that some members of the squad do not react well to criticism.

United are currently seventh in the Premier League table, five points behind Aston Villa in fourth and nine behind leaders Arsenal. They face a critical run of fixtures before Christmas, playing Chelsea, Bournemouth and Liverpool in their next three league games, as well as a make-or-break encounter against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. United are currently bottom of their group in Europe and will have to beat Bayern and hope that Copenhagen and Galatasaray draw to have any hope of progressing to the knockout stages.

United are yet to draw a league game this season but have lost six of their 14 games. No other team in the top 10 has lost as many games; the next highest-placed team to lose as many fixtures is Crystal Palace in 12th.

He will have to hype his players up ahead of their encounter with Chelsea on Wednesday. A defeat in that game is likely to see the pressure rise on the Dutchman.