Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was forced to go back to the drawing board on Sunday following his side’s Manchester derby humiliation.
The Red Devils were beaten 6-3 by Manchester City at The Etihad, ending their run of four straight wins in the Premier League.
United have now conceded 14 goals in just seven matches this season, and it appears that Ten Hag has made a bold call in an effort to fix his side’s problems.
According to The Telegraph, the Dutchman has ordered those in charge of the club to refrain from dishing out new contracts to any of his players until he has figured out who deserves one.
A number of United players – including Marcus Rashford, David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo – are all set to be out of contract next summer, but Ten Hag doesn’t want to rush into negotiations.
A total of eight players are set to be out of contract next summer, although United have the option to extend each of their deals by a further 12 months.
United have won four and lost three of their seven matches so far in the Premier League, with the Manchester derby defeat and a 4-0 loss to Brentford particular lows.
Ten Has is reluctant to offer any new contracts at present
The report claims that the former Ajax boss is still in the process of seeing ‘how players are’ and ‘what they are up to’.
Ten Hag is ‘still understanding them and over the next month or so he’ll start getting clarity in his head’, a source in the report claims.
The manager is reportedly keen to ensure that players are working hard to earn new contracts and are not falling into comfort zones and becoming complacent.
One notable absence from the derby on Sunday was Ronaldo, who has started just one league match so far this season and remained an unused substitute during United’s defeat to City.
The 37-year-old has played just 207 minutes of league football so far this season, and rumours suggest he may leave in January.
A total of 12 players left United during the recent summer transfer window, including Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani, and fringe players including Phil Jones are expected to leave the club for free next summer.
It is also claimed that the Dutchman will encourage his players to be critical of each other, with a meeting pencilled in for this week at the club’s Carrington training ground.