Manchester United icon hints players may have struggled with one piece of Erik ten Hag advice

Erik ten Hag’s reign at Manchester United has been blotted with controversy and off-field sagas but perhaps November 2022 will stick out as the most significant month in his tenure so far.

Cristiano Ronaldo had gone on TV to declare his disapproval of his manager after being frequently benched and then disciplined for stepping out of line. The club agreed to terminate his contract just days after the World Cup break began.

Less than a day later, the Glazers announced that they were looking for new investment amid a potential full sale. That had United fans hoping as the cameras pointed their lenses towards Old Trafford.

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In truth, the spotlight never moves away from United, meaning any off-field issue is magnified and dissected. The takeover situation remained unresolved by the time the new season began and it wasn’t until October that Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani withdrew from the race.

By that time, the Jadon Sancho saga had started, Antony had taken a period of leave and the club hierarchy was facing scrutiny for their awful handling of the Mason Greenwood situation.

The United squad was - and still is - looking wobbly on the pitch. At least now there is some takeover clarity. However, Ten Hag insisted that the players were not distracted by the buy-out situation.

In late October, he said: “I don’t believe the squad is affected. They are not thinking about strategic reviews or structures or whatever.” This echoed his pleas of eight months earlier, when he was asked about Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe tabling buy-out bids.

“We focus on