Man Utd make major change to pre-season schedule after Ten Hag blamed injury crisis for worst Premier League finish

Manchester United have reduced travelling and cut back on players’ off-pitch appearances for their summer tour of the US following complaints from Erik Ten Hag that last year’s gruelling schedule caused their injury crisis.

United’s 2023/24 campaign was decimiated by injuries, with Ten Hag claiming he was only able to pick his strongest side once due to what he described as a once-a-decade problem.

GettyMan Utd have listened to Erik Ten Hag’s complaints ahead of pre-season[/caption]

GettyThe manager was frustrated by the amount of travelling involved in last year’s US tour[/caption]

Ten Hag blamed the the injury crisis for United’s poor Premier League form, which saw Man Utd finish eighth in the table and the manager only narrowly cling on to his job following a lengthy post-season review.

United’s new part-owners INEOS launched an internal inquiry into the injury problems after buying into the club last January with the findings understood to support Ten Hag’s concerns.

Ten Hag also raised the issue of pre-season during talks at United towards the end of last season and the club have responded.

United sources confirmed to SunSport that in contrast to previous years this summer’s trip to the United States will prioritise football rather than commercial interests.

United will do all of their training on one site at the University of California campus in Los Angeles despite only playing one game in the city.

After facing Arsenal in Los Angeles Ten Hag’s side will then take a day-trip to San Diego for a game against Real Betis before playing Liverpool in South Carolina on their way back to the UK.

United have also agreed to reduce the commercial demands made on their players, who in previous years would have been asked to make personal appearances for sponsors in each of the cities in which they were playing.

United’s itinerary last summer in contrast saw them zig-zag all over the USA, much to the irritation of Ten Hag and the players.

GettyUnited’s schedule saw them travel from coast to coast for friendlies[/caption]

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Nine managers Man Utd considered before keeping Erik ten Hag

ERIK TEN HAG appears to be safe as Man Utd manager, but the Dutchman edged dangerously close to the sack.

Here are nine managers Red Devils chiefs are reported to have considered for the job and what allegedly happened with each.

Gareth Southgate

Enjoys plenty of support among Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos chiefs but made clear he wouldn’t talk to any clubs until after Euro 2024. There is yet to be any suggestion that contact was made with the England boss.

Kieran McKenna

Talks were opened with McKenna’s representatives before the FA Cup final, but the former Man Utd coach opted to sign a new deal with Ipswich after Ten Hag’s Wembley win.

Roberto De Zerbi

Allegedly sounded out before the FA Cup final with salary expectations discussed. But Ineos chiefs concluded ex-Brighton boss was not the right fit for the project.

Thomas Frank

Brentford boss met Man Utd representatives the day before the FA Cup final. The Dane also dined with Ratcliffe, Roy Hodgson and Frank Lampard at the launch of a new Ineos car in February.

Marco Silva

Fulham boss reportedly met Man Utd representatives face-to-face two days before the FA Cup final, around the same time as Ten Hag was conducting his press conference.

Mauricio Pochettino

Fell out of Man Utd’s thinking in the first week of June, despite being a favourite of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Thomas Tuchel

Made a very strong impression and came across well during a Monaco meeting. Personal terms were discussed before the ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss decided to step back from the process.

Ruben Amorim

Sporting boss was discussed by the Man Utd hierarchy but did not make the final reckoning.

Roberto Martinez

Portugal manager was considered in the early stages.

After playing Arsenal on the east coast in New Jersey United flew to the west coast to meet Wrexham in San Diego before heading south to face Real Madrid in Houston and then a final trip west to Las Vegas for a match against Borussia Dortmund.

The club’s injury crisis saw first-team players such as Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane miss large portions of the season.

GettyIneos plan to overhaul the club’s training ground[/caption]

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos have made ending the club’s injury plight a priority and will invest heavily into training facilities to help stem the crisis.

Carrington is to undergo a multi-million pound overhaul with special areas to be installed to help players warm-up called ‘pre-activation zones’.

Some areas of Carrington will also see large glass panels installed to allow more natural light in to help improve players’ sleeping patterns.

The training ground overhaul falls within Sir Dave Brailsford’s ‘marginal gains’ philosophy which he became famed for during his time in charge of British Cycling.

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