It would appear that Roy Keane’s long-standing warning that Manchester United players may undercut their manager is making a comeback once again. The iconic club captain has been an outspoken critic of the team’s dressing room dynamics for many years. The team’s lack of success in the Premier League, which is about to enter its tenth year without winning the championship, appears to be symptomatic of their troubles, including continuous leaks from the dressing room that target their managers.
Keane’s reservations regarding this matter stretch back to the time in 2018 when Jose Mourinho was fired from his position as manager. At that time, Keane accused the players of trying to avoid accountability and “throwing [Mourinho] under the bus.” Keane stressed the fact that players were hiding behind their management and agents, and as a result, they were frequently failing to reach the requirements of their profession.
This pattern was repeated after Jose Mourinho was replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Following a dismal 6-1 loss to Tottenham in 2020, Keane publicly lambasted the team, calling their performance despicable and implying that too many players were nothing more than “bluffers” who would eventually put Solskjaer’s job in jeopardy.
Now that Erik ten Hag’s club is struggling with bad form, it appears that Keane’s predictions were once again prescient. According to the Manchester Evening News, a number of players have been dissatisfied with Ten Hag’s method of leadership. These players point to what they believe to be Ten Hag’s favoritism within the team as well as his unwillingness to single out particular players for criticism.
The players are reportedly upset about what they consider to be inconsistencies in how Ten Hag treats different members of the squad, according to insiders within the dressing room. This dissatisfaction extends to worries regarding the tactical decisions made by Ten Hag and the effect that Antony’s absence has had on the performance of the squad. In spite of the fact that he was first brought in as a central midfielder, it remains to be seen whether Mason Mount will replace the Brazilian in the position that he had on the right flank.
The repetition of these difficulties highlights the persistent challenges within Manchester United’s dressing room, and it appears that the club’s hierarchy has not paid attention to Keane’s warnings about player-manager relationships. Ten Hag is struggling with the responsibility of reviving the team’s season, and in the midst of this struggle, the prospect of instability within the dressing room is looming big.
