Under-fire Erik ten Hag 'sure' he still enjoys full confidence of Man Utd squad despite dressing room leaks after dire defeat at Newcastle

The manager is facing renewed criticism following the Red Devils' meek surrender to Newcastle. He has also had to deal with several stories claiming he is losing the support of some players, which led to the club banning four journalists from Tuesday's press conference. However, Ten Hag has insisted that the players are still supporting him.

"Oh yes, I am sure, you can see for instance the comeback against Brentford, the Burnley game, the Fulham game, every time the team is there, showed great character, great determination, resilience so we are together," Ten Hag said. "You can see you can’t play such great football as we did recently without unity."

United had won five of their previous six league games before facing Newcastle, but were brought back down to earth at St James' Park and were hugely fortunate to only lose 1-0. The defeat continued United's dreadful run against teams in the top half of the Premier League table.

United have scored just 16 league goals this season. Only five teams in the Premier League - Crystal Palace, Everton, Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United - have scored fewer. Ten Hag's side are currently down in seventh as a result, nine points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

The embattled Red Devils desperately need to beat Chelsea at Old Trafford on Wednesday to demonstrate they can compete with the top teams in the Premier League, having lost to Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City, Brighton and Newcastle already this season.