Man United stars could desert the club as new Erik ten Hag plan revealed – pundit
Noel Whelan has claimed Erik ten Hag will find out who “really wants” to be a Man United player as he prepares to hold off on offering any new contracts.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested some Red Devils stars could choose to take the easy option and seek a big-money guaranteed deal elsewhere in January.
According to The Telegraph (3 October), Ten Hag has told Man United’s hierarchy not to hand out any new contracts until he can make a judgement on his squad.
Cristiano Ronaldo, David de Gea, Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Fred and Diogo Dalot are among the stars currently set to leave Old Trafford for free in the summer of 2023.
Those stars are free to negotiate pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs from 1 January.
Whelan claimed Ten Hag’s plan should make players “hungrier” as the Dutchman looks for “strong mentalities” in order to forge ahead with his Old Trafford rebuild.
He told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “He’s still learning a lot about his players, that was clear against Man City.
“They capitulated – and we keep getting these performances. They’ve got a real physical and mental weakness.
“I can see his point. He wants strong mentalities who are going to give 100% every game.
“He’s a different manager to what they’ve had. Before, they’d have handed out contracts whether they deserved it or not. He’s changing that regime.
“I think it’s a good thing, and it should make players hungrier if they know they’re fighting for their careers at Man United.
“But unfortunately, some players know they can get a contract somewhere else just because of their names.
“You don’t want to keep those kinds of players anyway, so he’s now trying to find out who really wants to be a Man United player.”
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