A year ago
Erik ten Hag has been accused of breaking one of his ground rules at Manchester United, with some fans even calling for him to make amends.
On Saturday, it looked like Ten Hag had things under control as United took on Everton, hoping to continue their attack on the top four.
After letting things slide recently, they found their way back to winning midweek, with a win over Brentford, despite some controversy over Marcus Rashford's goal.
The weekend gave them a chance to maintain their momentum, although Sean Dyche breathed new life into the Toffees, picking up a point against Tottenham Hotspur in their previous game.
The United manager has made three changes to the starting lineup since the Brentford win, including Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and the right-back somehow missed the opening goal. However, Scott McTominay finally gave the team the lead in the 36th minute when it looked like Jordan Pickford had a divine game.
In the first half, United made 21 shots with Pickford regularly rushing to the rescue, so Ten Hag certainly won't have much to say to his side at the break other than "much of the same".
As the second half began, however, the United boss was not on the touchline and did not appear until about a minute later, prompting fans to call him out.
Ten Hag arrived late in the second half. Image:
alamy
“Ten hours late?? It's unprofessional,” one fan noted. A second asked why he was late, adding, "Ten Hag got out of the tunnel late. He must be damned?"
The third said, "Ten Hag needs to make amends."
Referring to the manager who sacked Marcus Rashford earlier this season, the fourth joked: "He's going to be benched, one way or another."
While another posted, "Rashford was dropped for less than that, guessing Ten Hag will have to manage the reserves."
Earlier in the season, United's top striker was benched at the start of the match against Wolverhampton Wanderers after arriving late to a team meeting.
The England star came on to score the decisive goal, and similarly, Ten Hag recovered from his own mistake to make a significant contribution.
The former Ajax boss put Anthony Martial into the second half, and the Frenchman finished scoring for the team.
Fans will be worried when Rashford limps off later with what appears to be a groin injury, ahead of important team games. After the game, their manager gave an update on the striker, lamenting that the team had played three games in just six days.
Total Comments: 0