Erik ten Hag wants Manchester United stars to ‘fight for the badge’ after exits of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has insisted he needs hungry players having let stars like Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo leave the club.

The Dutchman is continuing his revolution at Old Trafford but his second season in charge has seen a drop off in quality as they sit ninth in the Premier League table.

They are also out of European competition, after finishing bottom of their Champions League, which including Bayern Munich, Galatasaray, and FC Copenhagen.

Meanwhile, Newcastle knocked them out of the EFL Cup in the fourth round, as they contended with injuries.

The Red Devils have also let high profile players leave the club with Ronaldo exiting on a free transfer and Sancho moving back to Borussia Dortmund on loan.

There are also murmurings Casemiro and Raphael Varane could leave Old Trafford.

Ten Hag, though, who sees his side going into the game with Tottenham with just two Premier League wins in six games, insists the only way things will improve is if his stars are ready to battle for victory.

«If you want to perform, you need hungry players,» Ten Hag said.

«I already said, we need personalities and players who are very hungry to fight for the badge, so fight for this club, and to do this in the team.»

Discipline is a key pillar of Ten Hag's approach and was backed during the Ronaldo situation by the Glazers, while new incoming minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has not stood in the way of Sancho's exit.

«I think it is not about discipline, it is about normal behaviour,» the Dutchman said.

«It is about that, so what you can expect from a top professional.»