Scott McTominay’s surprising ‘toxic’ admission shows Man United squad’s current stance

Scott McTominay has surprisingly admitted that the Manchester United dressing room has been ‘a little bit toxic’ under previous management.

The Reds have been poor so far this season as Erik ten Hag’s second spell in charge of the club is proving to be more challenging than expected.

Poor performances have led to many poor results, and there doesn’t seem to be an easy way out of the rut with huge games against Bayern Munich and Liverpool around the corner.

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Yet, despite the noise from the outside suggesting that Ten Hag is losing the dressing room at Old Trafford, this has been refuted by Scott McTominay.

The midfielder, who has scored six goals this term, has stated that the squad are ‘firmly behind’ their manager during a pre-match press conference for their Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.

More interestingly, perhaps, was that the Scotsman negated comparisons of the current situation to prior managers at the club, where he suggested there was, in fact, some discomfort in the dressing room then.

“It’s the players’ responsibility, first and foremost. Players know that as well. We’ve had many amazing players over that time, and I feel like now we’re at a stage where we’ve got big characters in the dressing room,” he said.

“It’s not a case of like with some of the other managers when it has been a little bit toxic at times. The boys are firmly behind the manager, and that’s the be-all and end-all. I’ve said that in many other interviews, and that’s the way it will remain and stay.

“We’ve got amazing coaching staff as well. People can get lost in translation and get carried away with what the players think and what they say behind closed doors. We just want to do well for the football club, and it’s as simple as that.”

Both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jose Mourinho had sour ends to their United tenures, as well as interim manager Ralf Rangnick.

Whilst slightly strange, McTominay’s comments suggest that the dressing room recognises the problems under previous management and is desperate not to lead another manager out of the door.

Ultimately, both the players and the manager will need to drastically improve quickly if they are to avoid that fate.