Erik ten Hag could be forgiven for circling the wagons amid his latest crisis as Manchester United manager, and no expense has been spared to grant the Dutchman’s wishes.
A giant white wall has been erected at Carrington to hide United’s training sessions from prying eyes and shield Ten Hag’s squad from the elements while a £50million upgrade forces them to practise in a more exposed area of the complex.
The wall, sanctioned by Ineos and the leadership group, was installed in the last fortnight at the request of the manager. United sources assure Confidential that it simply gives Ten Hag and his players the privacy and protection they had on the old first-team training pitch.
Former United boss Louis van Gaal famously ordered diggers and earth movers to be brought in to put up wind breakers at Carrington while he was in charge in 2015, saying at the time: ‘Wind is not always the friend of the players.’
However, the £200,000 cost of the wall has raised eyebrows among club staff who have been subjected to severe cost-cutting measures since Ineos took over, resulting in 250 employees losing their jobs.
Manchester United have erected a giant white wall to ensure privacy for their first team
Louis van Gaal raised eyebrows during his tenure in charge when he installed wind breakers
Cost-cutting has been a watch-word for new minority shareholders Ineos (Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford pictured left and right)
The new co-owners have promised to re-invest the savings in first-team operations, but some staff have questioned whether the wall is really worth it.
At least it’s proof that Ten Hag’s plans to turn things around extend to the smallest – or, in this case, biggest – details on the training ground.
Staff shape up for Ratcliffe visit
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s visit to Old Trafford and Carrington on Monday had staff scrambling to ensure everything was ship-shape and avoid another angry email from the minority owner.
Mail Sport revealed in May that Ratcliffe had been left distinctly unimpressed by the mess left by players and staff when he toured the training ground and stadium with club directors Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc.
‘I am afraid I was struck in many places by a high degree of untidiness. In particular the IT department which frankly was a disgrace and the dressing rooms of the U18 and U21 were not much better,’ wrote Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe was struck by the untidiness at Old Trafford and Carrington on an early club visit
‘These standards would not come close to what we would expect at Ineos and we are a chemical company. Manchester United is an elite sporting organisation. It’s a small thing in many ways but unless an organisation has standards and discipline it will not succeed.’
Staff were informed of Ratcliffe’s latest visit in a newsletter and took it to be a veiled reminder to clear up before his arrival.
After Ratcliffe returned to Ineos’ Knightsbridge headquarters to chair Tuesday’s board meeting, Confidential understands that no further emails have reached the in-box of his United employees.
Tired excuse for rotation
Ten Hag’s rotation policy is puzzling some of his own players just as much as it has confused the pundits.
The decision to replace Marcus Rashford at half-time of last week’s Europa League draw with FC Porto was curious given that Rashford had scored the first goal and was United’s most potent attacking threat.
Having sent on Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans for Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez late on at the Estadio do Dragao and seen Maguire rescue a point, Ten Hag picked the British pairing in central defence at Aston Villa on Sunday once again citing rotation.
The decision didn’t cut much ice with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher. ‘You don’t rotate centre-backs. They’ve been dropped,’ said Carragher. Former United centre-back Rio Ferdinand appeared to agree, posting a message on social media that simply read: ‘Rotation’.
Ten Hag has also shuffled his midfielders, using Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and new signing Manuel Ugarte so far.
Marcus Rashford was benched at half-time during Sunday’s make-or-break clash with Villa
Jonny Evans (centre) and Harry Maguire (right) were rewarded with starts – over high-profile new recruits Matthijs De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez
While it’s understandable that the United boss would want to maximise his squad after struggling with injuries for much of last season, some of the players are non-plussed that the reason given by Ten Hag and his coaches for their omissions is that they look tired.
Many of them would prefer to keep playing and find their rhythm during a difficult start to the season, particularly after defeats when most players want to get back on the pitch as soon as possible.
No rest for Under-21s
Talking of tired players, spare a moment to consider the relentless schedule for United’s U21s, who are battling on all fronts.
Confidential was in attendance to see Travis Binnion’s side take on Hertha Berlin in the Premier League International Cup last week where they were denied victory by a dubious 93rd-minute penalty equaliser.
Then, less than a week later they battled the downpour in Manchester in Premier League 2 against rivals Liverpool, losing out 1-0 despite a battling display led by midfielder Toby Collyer.
Now, three days on they are due to kick-start their campaign in the new midweek National League Cup.
Travis Binnion’s U21 side will start a new midweek competition this week called the National League Cup
The U21s already get first-team experiences when they take on experienced Football League sides in the EFL Trophy, but now they face a fresh challenge against National League teams, something United jumped at the chance to do.
First up in Group B for United is Forest Green Rovers, with other opponents including Altrincham, Oldham Athletic and Rochdale, with all the games taking place at National League stadiums.
As one source put it to Confidential over the weekend, United are ‘going all out to win everything’ this season. Tired? No chance.
Erik pressed for time
The travel problems that delayed United’s flight to Porto last week meant that Ten Hag’s press conference started two hours later than planned, but it almost didn’t happen at all.
It was scheduled to begin at 7pm at the Estadio do Dragao, but thick fog and adverse weather in the north of Portugal delayed United’s take-off from Manchester. In total, Ten Hag and his players spent five hours on the plane.
It eventually began shortly after 9pm after Ten Hag and the club’s communications staff dashed from the airport to the stadium, but plans for Diogo Dalot to speak alongside the manager on his return to Porto were abandoned.
Erik ten Hag was forced to hold a very late press conference after a delayed landing in Porto
Confidential understands that the prospect of Ten Hag cancelling his appearance in front of the media altogether was also discussed, but he was able to make it just in time.
That’s more than can be said for the 180 United fans who were stranded at Manchester Airport on matchday after their trip through travel company Sportsbreaks was cancelled after a day of delays. United have offered the supporters tickets to the game against Bodo Glimt next month by way of compensation.
Euro ticket fear for fans
Fans fear missing out on highly-coveted tickets for their European away matches because of cost-cutting measures initiated by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The club usually make supporters collect in the host country but tickets for the game in Porto last week were sent by email as part of efforts to save money, raising concerns over touting and fans gaming the system.
Tickets for United’s matches in Europe are balloted by number of credits, with one given for each game attended. The ticket must be scanned in order for the supporter to receive the credit.
But without collections, some are fearful fans will buy a seat for an away Europa League or Champions League game with no intention of going, instead passing it on to another supporter – possibly at an inflated price – so they can retain the credit. Confidential understands the issue has been raised with United.
Fans keen to watch former United manager Jose Mourinho take on their club with Fenerbahce feared miss out due to a new credit scheme
The clash with Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce later this month surprisingly sold out to fans with three credits following the decision not to hold a collection in Porto. It was expected to go down to zero, but United are set to ask fans to pick their tickets up in Istanbul.
United are unhappy with the Turkish side after they offered a reduced allocation without an explanation. The club have challenged the decision with UEFA and received a slight increase, but it is still short of the minimum five per cent requirement.
Gore’s back in the groove
While there have been some frustrating results in the last week or so for the U21s, it has been a real positive for midfielder Dan Gore.
Gore has only managed a handful of appearances since regaining fitness following multiple setbacks, including a freak shoulder injury that required surgery and halted his development in 2024.
But now he is finding a groove again and he was the stand-out player for Confidential in the games against Hertha Berlin and Liverpool.
Dan Gore has been working his way back to full fitness and has been impressing for the club’s youth side
The midfielder was named reserve team Player of the Year in 2022-23 and travelled to Porto with the first team last week
The rave reviews of Gore, who was watched by sporting director Dan Ashworth in the Hertha Berlin game, made their way to the first-team coaches and he was rewarded with a spot in the travelling squad to Porto for the recent Europa League trip, with Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo not fit enough to go.
The 20-year-old was voted reserve team Player of the Year in 2022-23 and has already made his first-team debut. Now, as he works his way back up to the heights of previous seasons, Gore has his eyes fixed on leaving a lasting impression on Erik ten Hag and his coaching staff.
Rising star JJ is fast-tracked
One of the other key bits of info from the academy this week is that JJ Gabriel, who turned 14 at the weekend, has been promoted to train with the U18s.
Gabriel, who has the nickname ‘Kid Messi’ on social media, is one of the most exciting young players in the entire United academy and has been a regular at 13-years-old for the U16s.
Already he looks to have outgrown the level at U16s, and development staff are now looking to integrate the Nike athlete into the next phase.
JJ Gabriel (centre, with award) – AKA ‘Kid Messi – has been invited to train with the Under-18s
Back in April, Confidential reported how United invited Gabriel to warm up with the U18s ahead of the Premier League Cup final versus Manchester City.
Gabriel has started this season so impressively, winning Most Valuable Player at a U16s tournament in Hong Kong after scoring two goals and adding an assist in United’s two matches.
While there is no desire to rush him into getting starting minutes with the U18s, coaches have been blown away by Gabriel’s talent and have rewarded him by making him part of the training group to test his capabilities against players significantly older.
Help us pay for our stadium!
With Ten Hag’s first-team players failing to qualify for the Champions League, it means the route to the UEFA Youth League for the club’s youngsters is a lot more convoluted.
U18s boss Adam Lawrence has been tasked with looking after the U19s that are looking to make it in Europe.
United have gained access after winning the U18 Premier League title last season, defeating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to seal it. Now they must navigate two tricky two-legged qualifying rounds, starting with a match-up against Lithuanian champions FK Zalgiris.
Adam Lawrence (centre right) has been tasked with helping United’s youth progress in Europe
FK Zalgiris are hoping revenue from their youth tie with United will help fund their efforts to buy back the LFF Stadium
With United heading to town, it is headline news for the Lithuanians – so much so that they are using the first leg visit as a chance to raise funds to buy back their stadium.
The first match between the teams will take place on October 23 at the LFF Stadium in Vilnius, with the revenue generated from ticket sales going to contribute to the campaign ‘Bring Zalgiris Home’.
Despite this being United’s youngsters, there is still huge interest and the hope from Zalgiris’ side is that they can generate major funds to help them purchase the stadium.
Should United progress to the third round, Lawrence’s side will face either Norwegian outfit Stromsgodset or Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.