Gary Lineker blasts Erik ten Hag as he labels action taken by Man Utd boss ‘unacceptable even when I played’

GARY LINEKER claims Erik ten Hag’s public criticism of his Manchester United players is “unacceptable”.

The under-pressure Red Devils boss suffered more woe on Saturday as he was spotted rowing with Anthony Martial during the 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.

ReutersErik ten Hag has been criticised for one major mistake at Man Utd[/caption]

AlamyMatch of the Day host Gary Lineker has one big issue about his actions[/caption]

Ten Hag soon stamped his authority on the club following his arrival in the summer of 2022 after his explosive fall-out with Cristiano Ronaldo finally led to the Portuguese legend being released.

Another spat with Jadon Sancho followed this term after the winger claimed that his manager had made him a “scapegoat” – which has since led to him being exiled.

Ten Hag has also spoken of how standards have slipped at United as he struggles to return the club to their former glories.

Match of the Day host and former Tottenham and England striker Lineker says that criticism from the boss was a major “no no” in his day and believes the ex-Ajax man is out of order.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, answering whether “player power” will eventually lead to Ten Hag’s exit from United, the 63-year-old said: “It’s hard to tell with these player power things but it felt like they down tools a little bit at the weekend against Newcastle, that’s for sure.

“They didn’t exactly put too much effort in.

“I mean sometimes that can be confused with a lack of confidence and when you are losing your way on the pitch. But generally it is the manager that suffers under these circumstances.

“But talking about player power, certainly in the modern age, managing has changed.

FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS & NEW CUSTOMER BONUSES

“You have to have the players on board, you can’t just go around b******ing players, in fact it was always a no go when you go public with players.”

Lineker then added: “I think that is the one area that I would criticise Ten Hag a little bit – I don’t think he’s handled situations brilliantly with various players.

“He’s had a lot to deal with, but he’s repeatedly been critical openly and publicly and that is the one thing, even when I played, that was unacceptable.

“You could take any type of b******ing in the dressing room, but anything a manager does to put you down publicly, is a no no.”

Ten Hag will be hoping to ease some of the pressure on him by leading United to victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford tonight.

MAN UTD NEWS LIVE: Stay up to date with all of the latest transfer and takeover news from Old Trafford