Ex-Man United player warns Erik ten Hag that latest actions could cost Old Trafford major trophies

Former Manchester United player Andy Cole has warned Erik ten Hag that his recent actions could cost Old Trafford major trophies in the future.

When Erik ten Hag signed for Manchester United in 2022, the aim was to see if the Dutch manager, after his success at Ajax, could bring Old Trafford major trophies once again.

In his first season, Ten Hag brought home the Carabao Cup; the club’s first trophy in almost six years. This season, however, United have already been knocked out of two competitions, and the manager’s position is under threat.

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Ten Hag has been firm in ways, expelling multiple players from his squad who have not followed his rules, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho – but former United striker Andy Cole has warned Erik ten Hag that player fallouts could cost him major trophies.

Cole is worried that the manager falling out with multiple players at the club could back fire as his squad and transfer account balance is not good enough in order to replace them all.

“I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing because, ultimately, they still need the players he’s fallen out with,” Cole told BetFred when asked if he is worried about the tension. “It’s not like Manchester United are in the position to challenge for the Premier League title, and their squad’s good enough to allow players to move on.

“When you’re really in a position of power, your team is playing well, and you’re competing, it’s totally different. It’s a completely different situation now to when Sir Alex Ferguson was at the club. Players used to be desperate to come to Manchester United and to win things.

If it was like the old days, Erik ten Hag could fall out with Jadon Sancho and go out and get X, Y or Z. It’s a little bit different now because of the position that Manchester United find themselves in. It’s now harder for the club to entice players and encourage them to move to Old Trafford. 

“How many big names do you see being linked with moves to Manchester United now? Barely any. All the big names are now linked with moves to the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.

“When you fall out with players, you have to be very careful because ultimately you’re going to need them in the end, unless their replacement is better than what you had previously. For a long time now, Manchester United have brought in players who haven’t been much better than the players they’ve let go. We’ve been caught in that situation for over ten years now.”