Phil Neville has named the biggest lesson he was taught during his time at Manchester United.
25.04.2022 - 22:35 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Peter Crouch has drawn upon his own experiences of unsettled dressing rooms to send a worrying “good luck” message to Erik ten Hag ahead of his Manchester United arrival.
The United squad has appeared an unhappy one this season, with the club having a disastrous campaign on the pitch. Another loss on the road in the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday has effectively ended United's outside top four hopes.
United fans are now calling for a revamp of the squad under Ten Hag — who will arrive at the club on a three-year deal in the summer. One of the Dutchman's primary objectives will be to restore harmony within the dressing room.
READ MORE: What the Manchester United dressing room has made of Erik ten Hag's appointment
Crouch has underlined how difficult a task this can be. Writing in the Daily Mail, the former striker said: “I have been in dressing rooms like the one at Manchester United and it very rarely ends well. You have egos becoming stronger and United feels a bit toxic.
“Attitudes and factions behind the scenes see teams spiral and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see what has happened at Old Trafford. The body language, the arm-throwing, the storming off the pitch and anger at teammates, you can see it a mile off.
“From my own experience in troublesome dressing rooms, I saw little groups of players whispering and blaming others. They were pointing fingers, saying certain individuals were letting us down every week, with a lot of backstabbing and not enough looking in the mirror.
“Then there is often no faith in the manager either.” Crouch signed off: “So Erik ten Hag — good luck mate!”
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Phil Neville has named the biggest lesson he was taught during his time at Manchester United.
When Erik ten Hag takes a break from the demands of managing, he will often turn to a book and he has a keen interest in tomes on sports psychology. Among his own collection, the 52-year-old enjoys The Winner is Seen, by Dutch sports psychologist Peter Blitz and Effect by Norwegian skater Johann Olav Koss.
Here are your Manchester United headlines on Saturday, May 14.
Cristiano Ronaldo has warned that Erik ten Hag will need time to be a success at Manchester United, though he retains hope that the club will challenge for trophies next season.
Mitchell van der Gaag appears set to join his Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag at Manchester United next season. The pair have worked together for the past year at Ajax after Van der Gaag was promoted from the club's Jong Ajax side last season and they have enjoyed success together, cruising through Ajax's Champions League group with six wins from six as well as winning the Eredivisie title.
Rio Ferdinand has slammed Manchester United players after their 'day at the seaside' ended in a catastrophic 4-0 defeat against Brighton. Goals from Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard settled the scores on Saturday afternoon at the Amex Stadium.
Erik ten Hag is on the verge of meeting his new players at Manchester United.
Ralf Rangnick insists Erik ten Hag should have the final say on any Manchester United contract renewals.
Former Manchester United goalkeeping coach Eric Steele has compared Erik ten Hag's impending arrival at Old Trafford to that of Jurgen Klopp's at Liverpool in 2015.
Brandon Williams has set his sights on becoming a regular fixture in Erik ten Hag's plans at Manchester United next season.
Manchester United are in the midst of a major rebuild in a bid to change their fortunes after years of mismanagement behind the scenes and disappointment on the pitch. This season marks five since the club last won a trophy and nearly a decade since they last won the league and something needs to change.
Mauricio Pochettino refused to be drawn to comment on Erik ten Hag's appointment at Manchester United, a job he was in the running for.
Pep Guardiola says Manchester United have appointed a top class manager in Erik Ten Hag.
Wayne Rooney has called on Manchester United fans to be patient while Erik ten Hag undertakes a “massive job” to mould the club back into a title-challenging side.
Ralf Rangnick sought feedback on Erik ten Hag from contacts who had worked with the Ajax coach before Manchester United appointed the Dutchman as their next manager.
Manchester United fans must be 'patient' with new boss Erik ten Hag as he oversees a rebuild of the squad, cautions Wayne Rooney. United confirmed Ajax boss Ten Hag will take the reins at Old Trafford at the end of the season on a four-year deal that will earn him close to £30million. Ten Hag will arrive with a glittering reputation following his impressive rebuild in Amsterdam with Ajax but Rooney is well aware how far United are away at this moment from competing for major honours.
Mitchell van der Gaag is set to join Manchester United as Erik ten Hag's assistant manager.