Man Utd are worse than ever under Erik ten Hag - but another managerial change won't fix toxic dressing room culture

Ten Hag has done his best to stamp his authority on the United squad since arriving at the club, dropping Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Maguire and Jadon Sancho when they failed to meet his high standards.

"It is my job to control the standards," the Dutchman said of his hard-line approach last week. "Strict lines is what the club asked me because there was no good culture before I entered last season. Of course, it is never someone only makes one mistake, it is a whole process before you come to a certain outcome about strict lines. If staff or players or whoever, there is a structure to cross lines so you have to be strong."

The problem is, it no longer appears to be working. Ten Hag's comments came on the back of a public row with Sancho, who has been exiled from the squad for the second time in the past year for his supposed underperformance in training.

The rest of the players failed to react in a positive manner, losing 3-1 at home to a Brighton side that cost a fraction of the malfunctioning one assembled by Ten Hag. That result was no more of a surprise than United's latest defeat at the hands of Bayern.

United did at least go down with a fight against Bayern, but the Bundesliga champions were far from at their best. They scored four goals - and could have added at least one or two more - without ever really getting out of second gear.

Ten Hag's team are simply too easy to play against. The former Ajax boss said as much after a 2-0 loss away at Tottenham on August 19, telling reporters: "They [Spurs] were nowhere, nothing, and then things happened in the game, then they got distracted, not doing their jobs anymore. They didn't run. Or they run in the wrong moment, too late. Especially the front [players] didn't recover."

That lack of running was also one of the main reasons for United's downfall at the Allianz Arena, and indeed against Brighton last weekend. Their defensive discipline has gone out the window.

It's painfully evident that the players are no longer giving their all for Ten Hag. Bad luck with injuries has played a part in United's poor form, but that is no excuse for anyone to be downing tools.

There have been regular reports of discontent behind the scenes at Old Trafford in recent years, leading to question marks over whether certain players have been guilty of leaking information to the press. The likes of Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard were accused of being dressing room moles amid Ralf Rangnick's ill-fated spell as interim manager, but the leaks have persisted since their respective departures from the club last year.

Indeed, after United's latest Premier League loss to Brighton, The Sun reported that four players were involved in a heated bust-up. It was said that Bruno Fernandes confronted Scott McTominay, while defensive duo Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof pointed the finger of blame at each other over defensive errors.

The club has reportedly denied these claims, but United legend Gary Neville is worried that the situation will only get worse. He appeared to suggest that Ten Hag might have inadvertently brought it on himself, too, with his handling of Sancho and Maguire - who was stripped of his captaincy duties in July.

"How popular are Sancho and Maguire in the dressing room?" Neville said in his latest podcast for Sky Sports. "He's got some bugs in there that we don't know from the outside, what discomfort and uncertainty is being created on the inside.

"You've got a player at the moment who is probably changing in the first-team dressing room but obviously over with the academy. You've got Maguire, who has been captain of these players 12 months ago, now almost alienated as third, fourth, fifth centre-half. He's got some situations in there I don't know the damage that's having.

"I don't think Ten Hag will change. What I'm hoping at the moment is it's just a difficult start to the season and it's not a repeat of what we've seen previously. We've seen it becoming challenging for Jose Mourinho, for Louis van Gaal, for David Moyes, for obviously Ralf Rangnick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. So I hope it is not the beginning of that."

There are plenty of parallels to be drawn between the start of Ten Hag's second season at United and Solskjaer's last, which saw him lose his job after just 12 games. The Norwegian seemed to be heading in the right direction after a runners'-up finish in the Premier League and a Europa League final appearance in 2021-22, which he followed up by signing Sancho, Raphael Varane and Ronaldo.

But collective performances then took a major nosedive, and the board were forced into action after a shocking 4-1 loss against Watford. If Ten Hag is not careful, he could share a similar fate to Solskjaer, who has spoken out on the weak mentality of the squad.

"Some weren't as good as their own perception of themselves," the former United boss said in an explosive interview with The Athletic. "When you have a group you need everyone to pull in the same direction. When things didn't go right, you could see certain players and egos came out."

Solskjaer added: "Some players felt they should’ve played more and weren’t constructive to the environment. That’s a huge sin for me. When I didn’t start games I wanted to prove to the manager he’d made the wrong decision. Now, a lot of players aren’t like that. Agents and family members get into their heads and tell them they’re better than they are because they have a vested interest. It’s a disease of modern football."

Fernandes was always the clear favourite to succeed Maguire as United skipper, having worn the armband for the majority of the 2022-23 campaign while the centre-back had to make do with a place among the substitutes. The Portuguese playmaker has been United's best player since joining the club from Sporting CP in January 2021, and is clearly a natural-born winner. The problem is, he turns into a petulant child when he can't get his own way.

United drop their heads after conceding goals, and instead of trying to lift the spirits of his team-mates, Fernandes grinds them down further. He is most certainly not the right man to lead in a crisis.

Indeed, after seeing Fernandes lambast 21-year-old winger Facundo Pellistri after the breakdown of a promising attack against Tottenham, former Manchester City defender Micah Richards couldn't hide his disgust. "I feel like his body language on the pitch is disturbing the rest of the team and it’s just not a good look at all. It’s pathetic at times," he said on The Rest is Football podcast.

Sancho famously told Fernandes to "stop moaning" during United's 1-0 home win against Aston Villa last season, and the Portugal international was widely criticised for his behaviour during a shocking 7-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield.

United need a cool-headed captain right now, not one that cannot control his emotions. For that reason, Varane would have been the best choice for the role - despite his fitness troubles - given the former Real Madrid star's vast experience when it comes to delivering at the very highest level.

Fernandes might not be responsible for the toxic atmosphere in the dressing room, but he has definitely played a part in exacerbating it, and United will have little chance of turning their season around unless he changes his ways.

Ten Hag is now learning first-hand why being head coach of United is arguably the toughest job in world football, but he must take his fair share of responsibility for their latest decline. The likes of Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro have endeared themselves to supporters, but the majority of the Dutchman's signings have been huge disappointments.

United stumped up £85m ($104m) to sign Antony from Ajax on Ten Hag's say-so, and the Brazilian winger has since only managed to score four goals in 29 Premier League games. The 23-year-old is also now unavailable for selection, with the club agreeing for him to take an indefinite leave of absence due to the disturbing allegations of domestic violence that have been made against him in recent months.

Ten Hag brought in Wout Weghorst on loan in January to fill the void left by Ronaldo's departure, but the Netherlands international only found the net twice across 26 appearances in all competitions, and was not offered a permanent contract.

And then we come to his 2023 summer-window targets. United signed Mason Mount for £60m ($74m) on the back of his most disappointing season in a Chelsea shirt, along with Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund - who ended up costing £73m ($90m) after drawn out negotiations with Atalanta. Instead of going all out for Harry Kane, Ten Hag pinned all his hopes on a 20-year-old that only scored nine goals in Serie A last season. Hojlund could yet become a future star, but Kane would have been a sure thing, as his fast start at Bayern underlines.

The jury is also out on Andre Onana after his underwhelming start to life at Old Trafford, with his inexplicable mistake gifting Bayern the lead in midweek. It remains to be seen whether the former Inter goalkeeper will prove to be an upgrade on David de Gea.

Beyond his questionable recruitment, Ten Hag's man-management abilities are also now coming under the microscope. He didn't need to publicly criticise Sancho, who now looks destined to leave the club with his potential unfulfilled. And in general, he doesn't seem to know how to get the players motivated again. There is now so much pressure on Ten Hag heading into what should have been a routine trip to struggling Burnley on Saturday - and it wouldn't be a shock if United's miserable run continues.

Ten Hag will know that he doesn't have the luxury of time. United have to start winning now, or else he will face the sack - that's just how it works at the top clubs.

But United would face the same issues under any other manager. They have fallen so far behind the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool in terms of challenging for major honours over the past decade because the core values that underpinned Ferguson's glorious reign have been forgotten.

Mediocrity has been rewarded, with lucrative contracts handed out to players that have failed to give give blood, sweat and tears for the badge. This has led to over-inflated egos and a lack of respect for the managers tasked with trying to bring the club back to the elite stage.

Meanwhile, the Glazer family have done nothing to address the decline in footballing performance in their capacity as owners, pocketing millions in dividends year on year while allowing the foundations of the club to rot. A protracted takeover saga continues to serve as an unwelcome distraction in the background, with no real change likely to come into effect until the Glazers finally pass control to people that care about progress on the pitch as well as off it.

United are less a football club these days than a soap opera, and getting rid of Ten Hag won't fix that.