Manchester United have banned a host of news outlets from Erik ten Hag’s upcoming press conference following recent reports over the Dutchman’s future at the club – the decision was made by United’s Communications Director, Andrew Ward.
The Red Devils have been heavily criticised for their performances this season, sitting bottom of Group A in the Champions League and suffering an embarrassing 1-0 defeat in the Premier League on Saturday.
Erik ten Hag has been scrutinised for his sides display, with many questioning his style of play and man-management skills.
Following the defeat to Newcastle, stories started to circulate over the current situation at Old Trafford – claiming the Dutch manager had lost the dressing room.
The red side of Manchester have lost 10 matches already this season, which is the quickest they’ve reached this amount of defeats since 1973.
The Manchester Evening News is among the outlets that have been banned by Manchester United, alongside three other major news organisations.
Why Have Manchester United Banned MEN & Others?
The Red Devils have reportedly banned the major news outlet for their recent story that claimed Erik ten Hag had lost the dressing room.
This has become a common theme at Old Trafford, dating back to David Moyes’ tenure as Manchester United manager – with Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjær also ‘losing the dressing room’.
Communications Director, Andrew Ward, was appointed back in 2019 and this is the first time in his career that a news outlet has been banned from attending a pre-match presser.
According to MEN, Ward has stopped several journalists from asking questions in press conferences which are deemed too negative but insist United impose the ban with ‘regret’.
United are involved in another huge clash this week, as they welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford on Thursday and another defeat could put huge pressure on ten Hag.
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