Ten Hag in remarkable Kane ‘reveal’ and Sancho shock ‘fate’ leaves Manchester United stunned

Manchester United are in disarray after Erik ten Hag ‘revealed’ something everyone knew almost a year ago, and Jadon Sancho discovered an obvious ‘fate’.

After hours

Following the utter shambles of their leading MailOnline story from Thursday, in which it was revealed that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and some other INEOS folk had eaten food ‘just hours after’ making most of the Manchester United squad available for transfer, it is good to see lessons have immediately been learned.

‘Revealed: Manchester United picked up tab for WAGs day out – including swanky restaurant and Harvey Nichols goody bags – just 24 hours after axing FA Cup final perks for ordinary staff members in supposed crackdown on spending,’ is the typical monster headline – and the ‘just hours after’ nonsense is not so incongruous this time. But best of all is the priced-up menu asking ‘What could the WAGS have ordered at San Carlo?’.

A return to form, no doubt.

Total recall

A lot has been written about Jadon Sancho recently, including him adding to the list of reasons for Manchester United to sack Erik ten Hag.

There has also been some entirely media-fuelled talk of an England squad place for the Euros, because that is precisely how these things work.

Over at the Daily Mirror, John Cross brings us this revelation – and did not pick the headline for it in fairness:

Sancho learns England recall fate for Euro 2024 after starring for Dortmund

This is huge. Is the generally quite risk-averse Gareth Southgate about to rip up his carefully-laid plans for a major tournament and recall a player whose last England cap came in October 2021? All because of a few decent months on loan in which said player has scored three and assisted two goals? While rivals for his position are in incredible form and themselves not assured of a spot?

Short answer: nope.

Slightly longer answer: ‘Jadon Sancho has run out of time to win a Euros recall.‌ Manchester United winger Sancho has impressed and shown signs that he is getting back to his best during his loan spell with Borussia Dortmund… but it is set to come too late to force his way back into the England reckoning this summer.’

Either way: very obviously nope. And it didn’t really need clarifying just because Peter Schmeichel and an eight-pints-deep Jamie Carragher asked Sancho about it.

It’s the remix to admission

The big news on Friday is obviously Ten Hag’s sit-down interview with Gary Neville, in which a wide range of subjects were discussed but only one is really making the headlines:

‘Erik ten Hag reveals Manchester United attempted to sign Harry Kane last summer’ – The Athletic.

‘Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag admits Rasmus Hojlund was his SECOND choice striker transfer in brutally honest interview’ – The Sun website.

‘Erik ten Hag admits Man United ‘couldn’t get’ his No 1 target Harry Kane and turned to £72m Rasmus Hojlund as a second choice’ – MailOnline.

‘Erik ten Hag makes Harry Kane transfer admission at Man Utd as £72m Rasmus Hojlund is backed to become a 30-goal star for Red Devils’ – Goal.com.

Even Sky Sports themselves go for: ‘Erik ten Hag reveals he wanted to sign Harry Kane last summer’.

And it all leaves Mediawatch with just one question: can you ‘reveal’ or ‘admit’ in May something which was public knowledge the previous June? Everyone knew Ten Hag would have preferred to sign Kane. Everyone reported Ten Hag would have preferred to sign Kane. Everyone reported the myriad reasons Ten Hag was unable to sign Kane, which prompted Manchester United to focus on signing Hojlund instead.

It was a good line. But it was neither an admission nor a revelation; we knew this nearly a year ago.

Shock and bull story

On the subject of Ten Hag, this is nonsense from The Sun website:

Under-pressure Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag shock name ‘being discussed’ by Bayern Munich to replace outgoing Tuchel

An obviously talented manager with experience coaching big European clubs in continental competition, who was once in charge of Bayern Munich’s reserve team for two years, being considered as a possible option to become Bayern Munich manager? It’s some ‘shock’.

They have literally been rejected by Ralf Rangnick this week. Ten Hag isn’t the most shocking Manchester United-adjacent name to be linked with Bayern in the last 24 hours.

Monarch of the Glen

This from the Daily Mirror website is quite something:

Arne Slot warned he’ll get just two weeks to win over Liverpool stars after Jurgen Klopp exit

And this ‘warning’ comes down from Glen Johnson, so we know it is entirely legitimate and to be taken completely seriously. But what is it he actually said?

It’s important that he gets the boys on his side.

Agreed, Glen.

He needs to get their attention, get their belief as soon as possible.

Absolutely nailed it so far.

Because if he hasn’t got that in four weeks, it isn’t going to work, maybe even less, maybe two weeks.

Starting to feel like you’re just throwing numbers around now, mate.

They’re big characters. If he loses the dressing room in the first four weeks, it’s over.

Mediawatch would suggest that if any manager loses the dressing room at any point, it’s probably over. Not just at this completely random and arbitrary four-week/two-week mark.

The players have to respect him and naturally they will do, they’re all good guys.

Consider yourself warned, Arne. Resign now and save everyone the hassle.

Training spotting

Jurgen Klopp is still at Liverpool, of course, hanging around like a smiling weirdo.

We know this because it’s one of the ‘5 things we spotted from Liverpool training’ that the Daily Mirror website has kindly bestowed upon the world.

First is that Mo Salah ‘wore a focused look,’ which is one way of saying he was neither laughing nor crying. The man is stood still with his hands on his hips. Focused.

Second is Klopp being ‘all smiles,’ which is just phenomenal tabloidese.

Third, Conor Bradley ‘was pictured taking part’ in training. And that has been ‘spotted’ on their Getty Images subscription.

Fourth is that Virgil van Dijk was not pictured taking part, which was also somehow ‘spotted’.

And they save the best for last with the fifth thing: Pep Lijnders ‘was pictured giving a lecture to the side, consistently pointing at his head’.

It all begs the eternal question: why can Reach not make a subscription model work?

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