Former Manchester United midfielder Fred has launched a blistering assessment of his time under Erik ten Hag, branding the Dutch manager difficult to work with and revealing a culture of constant friction within the Old Trafford dressing room.
The Brazilian midfielder, who spent the 2022-23 season under Ten Hag before departing for Turkish side Fenerbahçe and later returning to South America with Atlético Mineiro, pulled no punches during a candid appearance on the Charla podcast.
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While acknowledging Ten Hag’s tactical acumen upon arriving from Ajax, Fred claimed that the manager’s man-management skills and player relations left a lot to be desired.
‘He argued with everyone. He argued with me, with Cristiano, with Casemiro, with Rashford,’ the 33-year-old told Charla podcast. ‘He wouldn’t put me in to play, sometimes it got stressful.’
‘Only his Dutch players played.
‘(He was) a clique-ridden coach,’ he continued. ‘But, tactically, one of the best I’ve ever worked with.
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‘He wanted the team to run, but Cristiano (was already) older. He took Cristiano out (of the starting lineup), and then there was a falling out.’
The scathing remarks add to a growing list of public criticisms leveled against Ten Hag by former players following his turbulent tenure at Manchester United, further highlighting the deep-seated cultural friction that plagued his time in charge.
