It’s difficult to recall a time when the relationship between players and fans was so shaky, and it’s difficult to recollect aside in the club’s historic history that was so mediocre.
A lack of effort hasn’t crept in either, with attitude issues widespread for much of the season and exposed to new levels when Ralf Rangnick replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last November.
Erik ten Hag will have a tremendous task ahead of him if he is to apply the ‘winner’s mindset’ he identified as a vital aspect in Ajax’s last title win in midweek, and the key to that will be a thorough revamp of the playing roster that has failed so often this season.
Another significant factor will be the people he hires to help him, one of whom has already expressed his displeasure with the underperforming players this season.
Steve McClaren, the former England manager and Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant at United, is being pursued by Ten Hag for a position on his backroom staff and is seen as someone who may bring invaluable insight into the club’s politics.
Ten Hag was one of McClaren’s assistants during his successful period at FC Twente, and despite saying he has no desire to be a first-team manager again, he is said to embrace the opportunity to play second fiddle to his former teammate.
The 61-year-old may bring a wealth of knowledge to Ten Hag’s squad and provide insight into how the English game works, but most crucially, he could deliver a brutal decision on who is expendable this summer.
“The sad thing for me was that it was 3-1 with 25 minutes left and the guys stopped running,” McClaren said of the United team that fell to Manchester City in March. “They stopped running for the manager, but they did stop running for each other. Then you have a problem.
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“When faced with difficulty, they should have banded together, but they never did. Under the surface, there are major issues in that dressing room that has yet to be resolved. The solution is simple: they need a manager whom the players will trust and for whom they will run and die.
“You must remove the undesirables from the dressing room. This is the key, and Roy Keane was dead on. Five or six of them are unfit to wear the garment. Remove them from the club and replace them with players who will run and battle for that shirt.”
United are likely to undergo a significant squad change this summer, with six players set to leave for free when their contracts expire, while another handful might easily be moved.
Rangnick has already recommended United buy up to ten new players at the conclusion of the season, but some club sources believe that is an exaggeration, with the rebuilding effort more likely to include half that number at most.
It means McClaren may not be able to carry out the large-scale removal he had hoped for, but getting rid of a handful of the “bad ones” would be a start.
Some of them may never be able to wear the garment again after being told they are not fit.
