Defiant Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag said on Friday in a pre-match conference that there was “no good culture” at the club before he arrived in the summer of 2022.
The Dutchman, who has endured a shaky start to the new campaign, has had to enforce his standards in the club, with Portuguese forward Cristian Ronaldo being one of the big examples and most recently English forward Jadon Sancho.
Sancho was left out of the Red Devils squad that suffered a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal earlier this month, with Ten Hag questioning the 23-year-old’s intensity in training. However, the former Borussia Dortmund man did not take criticism well, as he released a statement claiming the manager was peddling lies and that he has been “a scapegoat for a long time”.
Sancho has since been told to train away from the first team amid his social media outburst, with reports suggesting that the manager demanded an apology before he would be allowed to return to training with the first team.
Ahead of their weekend clash against Brighton and Hove Albion, Ten Hag reiterated the importance of overseeing contrasting personalities in the team while stating that no player has been cruelly sanctioned for just “one mistake”.
“The club asked me, because there was no good culture before I entered last season, to set some standards and that’s what I did,” the former Ajax manager stated.
“It’s my job to control the standards and, of course, it’s never been when one person just makes one mistake, there is a whole process before you come to a certain outcome about straight lines.
“If staff, players, or whoever, there will always be a structure to cross lines. You have to be strong, absolutely.
“It’s about team construction, the group dynamic,” he said. “But it’s about the team, the team is above everything else.
“In that team, anyone plays their role and anyone is different. There are different characters and you have to manage those characters. But the team is always above everything else,” he added.
When asked about the situation with Sancho, Ten Hag decided not to give an opinion but rather said “Keeping the straight line is not the point, but upholding the culture is”.
United are short of options on the right wing with Sancho’s situation and Antony’s agreed absence from the team. However, the Dutch manager downplayed any cause for concern. He said: “The squad is strong, in good spirit, good mood and we go into the game.”
“They are very good. You have sometimes setbacks in seasons, players are injured or for other reasons not available. So, you construct a squad. Those who are available, are motivated.”
The 13-time Premier League winners will return to Old Trafford, where they have been solid under Ten Hag, to take on the Seagulls, who have been in impeccable form, on Saturday, September 15.
