Erik ten Hag has said that when he first came to Manchester United, the team did not have a good culture. The Dutch technician said in an interview that the owners of the club have asked for a stricter leadership on his part for the players. The comments came in the first press interview since the incident with Jadon Sancho.
The latter made a public statement, going against the coach indirectly, and protesting his exclusion from United's squad. The club issued an official statement later, announcing that Jadon Sancho will train away from the first team until the issues between him and the Dutch coach are resolved. However, the latter tried to avoid discussing this situation during the press conference. Ten Hag commented:
"My job is to set the standard. The strict rules are what the club asked me because there was no good culture before my arrival last season. Of course, it's never just 1 mistake, it's a process before reaching strict rules."
Ten Hag was also asked about the situation of the Brazilian Antony, who will be separated for a period from the team, to clarify the accusations against him for violence. Ten Hag did not give details about the incident, but said that the team remains positive despite the difficulties:
"Sometimes you have difficult situations during a season, players get injured or for some reason are not available to make a team. The team is in good shape and the players who are available are motivated to give a good performance."
The technician was asked at the end by reporters when Sancho can return to the first team, but the Dutchman refused to answer.
