Erik ten Hag ordered Manchester United players to do one thing inside dressing room as part of punishment after derby loss – Reports
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reportedly instructed his team to sit in silence after their 3-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday (October 29).
The Red Devils, who are currently eighth in the Premier League standings with 15 points from 10 matches, slumped to their fifth league loss of the campaign against their city rivals. Erling Haaland netted twice, while Phil Foden found the back of the net in the 80th minute.
According to The Sun, Ten Hag told his first-team stars not to say a word and listen to the City players' triumphant shouts coming from the opposite dressing room. He also ordered his underperforming players to pay attention to the away fans' taunts following the final whistle.
Ten Hag, who was named as the Red Devils manager before the start of the 2022-23 season, also reportedly cancelled his players' scheduled day off on Monday. He also issued his stars homework in video form to help understand where they went wrong in their latest clash.
Manchester United are next set to be in action in their EFL Cup last-16 tie against Newcastle United at home on Wednesday (November 1).
Ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger comments on Manchester United's outing in 3-0 defeat
Speaking after Manchester United's 3-0 home loss to Manchester City, ex-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claimed that he felt sorry for Erik ten Hag's team. He told beIN Sports (h/t Metro):
"I would say the gulf between the two teams became bigger and bigger as the game went on. In the end, for such a big club, you felt sorry for Manchester United because there's no hope there in the team. I don't see where they can improve, basically. This team has lost confidence, quality and even spirit today."
Claiming that the Red Devils were poor in their buildup, Wenger added:
"I believe where United suffers a lot, first of all is about the quality, the individual quality of the players. And I felt today they were very poor to build the game up from the back. They gave the ball many times to the goalkeeper when they had possibilities to play forward."
Manchester United, who have lost seven times in 14 overall games this campaign, registered just 40% possession in their latest outing. They recorded three shots on target to City's 10, and completed 316 passes with 81% accuracy to the defending league champions' 542.
While Erik ten Hag's side are eighth in the 2023-24 domestic table, their arch-rivals are third with 24 points from 15 matches, two points off top.