From Ronaldo-Piers Morgan to Rashford in Belfast: Five big Ten Hag scandals at Man Utd

Jacque Talbot

• 6 Feb 2024 14:00 GMT
• 4 min read

Erik ten Hag arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 2022 but it's hardly been smooth sailing.

The club was in dire straits, Ralf Rangnick had departed just after leading the Premier League giants to their worst league finish of the last 30 years, there were fan-led protests against the Glazer family, the side’s controversial owners, while a large crop of the players were linked with moves away.

Things didn’t get any easy for the Dutchman. There is always something chaotic afoot at Old Trafford, and this has continued right into his tenure. Here we go through some of the most notable scandals that have taken place during his reign.

Mason Greenwood

Man Utd forward Mason Greenwood was arrested at his residence back in January 2022 for charges of alleged of attempted rape, assault, and coercive control

Scheduled for trial in November, Greenwood saw all charges against him dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

“We have a duty to keep cases under continuous review. In this instance, the withdrawal of crucial witnesses and the emergence of new material led to the conclusion that a conviction was no longer a realistic prospect.”

Greenwood has not played a minute of football for Man Utd since allegations were made public. He is currently out on loan for La Liga side Getafe.

Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford reportedly went to sleep fully clothed at 3 am after engaging in a 12-hour drinking session fueled by tequila in Belfast earlier this month.

Rashford is said to have partied in Northern Ireland before falling ill and subsequently missing his side's FA Cup fourth-round victory over Newport County.

On Monday night, the Red Devils issued a statement declaring the 'internal disciplinary matter' closed. Since coming back into the side, Rashford’s form has improved tremendously.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Man Utd sacked Cristiano Ronaldo following jhis explosive interview with Piers Morgan in November 2022.

During the conversation with the journalist, Ronaldo openly expressed dissatisfaction with the club's management and accused certain individuals of forcing his departure. The iconic Portuguese player expressed a sense of betrayal at Old Trafford, even taking aim at Ten Hag himself, saying that he did not disrespect him.

He also claimed to have received insufficient support from the club following the tragic death of his infant son in April.

The two-part series saw Man Utd remove Ronaldo as an employee, after a summer of speculation that he wanted to leave Old Trafford once more.

Jadon Sancho

Since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, Jadon Sancho struggled to reproduce the stellar form he exhibited in the Bundesliga.

During Ten Hag's tenure, Sancho found himself more frequently on the fringes of the squad than securing a regular spot. After being absent from the lineup when Man Utd faced a 1-3 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates earlier in the season, Ten Hag told the media that he was unhappy with Sancho’s conduct in training.

In response, Sancho took to social media, claiming he had been made a scapegoat, only retracting days later it. Despite Ten Hag's condition for allowing him back into the side was an apology, Sancho opted not to.

He left on loan to Borussia Dortmund in January, even though there is no option to buy in the deal.

Antony

The former girlfriend of Antony, Gabriela Cavallin, went to England for a police interview in connection to assault allegations.

The Brazilian international, Antony, is facing accusations of both physical and mental abuse directed at his former partner.

Antony, however, has asserted his innocence and willingly met with law enforcement agencies in both Sao Paulo and Manchester in September.

Nothing has come of the interview so far and Antony is back in the first-team, having been given time off after the allegations first surfaced.