Erik ten Hag told he lacks ‘peace and quiet’ for Man Utd role after spats with Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane as Champions League exit makes Dutchman’s position ‘worrying’

Ten Hag is enduring a difficult second season at Manchester United, and his position is also coming under scrutiny after the team's dismal exit from the Champions League. United have also been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and are already 10 points off the top of the table in the Premier League, meaning the FA Cup is the club's only realistic chance of silverware this season. Stam feels that Ten Hag must be concerned about his job and believes there is too much chaos at the club currently.

He told the Stick to Football Podcast: "He has got to be worried and thinking about what's going to happen now. You can ban players, but it's also about man management of course and how to work with and handle players. There was the [Cristiano] Ronaldo thing, the [Jadon] Sancho thing, Raphael Varane probably - I don't know if something's happened over there.

"There's the thing with the press now and banning journalists from press conferences. It doesn't work in your favour as a manager. You need to have peace and quiet… you don't want to pay too much attention to other things like players and the press. You need to fully focus, and I don't think you want to talk about players or what players think about you as a manager. I worry a little bit for him and that's why it would be good if he gets the results."

Ten Hag has tried to lay down the law at United since taking over. Cristiano Ronaldo departed after an explosive interview where he said he did not respect his manager, while Sancho has been exiled after clashing with the Dutchman and refusing to apologise. World Cup winner Varane has also found himself curiously sidelined by Ten Hag this season, although he was handed a recall against Bayern Munich. The Manchester United boss has also shown his frustration at the media, banning four outlets from a press conference after reports emerged claiming players were losing faith in the manager.

Manchester United have lost 12 of their 24 games in all competitions this season, as many as they lost in 62 matches across the whole of 2022-23.

Life does not get any easier for Ten Hag as he faces a difficult fixture next. The Red Devils head to Anfield on Sunday to face Premier League leaders and bitter rivals Liverpool. Ten Hag will be without captain Bruno Fernandes for the game, due to suspension, while Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire have been added to a lengthy injury list at United ahead of the match.