SCOTT MCTOMINAY says there is no longer a toxic feeling at Manchester United as there had been under previous managers.
Erik ten Hag has come under pressure in recent weeks with fears that he could go the same way as his predecessors who lost the Old Trafford dressing room.
ReutersScott McTominay has insisted the Man Utd squad are behind manager Erik ten Hag[/caption]
How McTominay has performed in the Champions League this season
But top scorer McTominay denied that is the case this time as the Red Devils approach a must win Champions League encounter with Bayern Munich.
McTominay said: “It is the players’ responsibility, first and foremost – the players know that as well.
“We have had many amazing players over the time and I feel like now we’re at a stage we have big characters in the dressing room.
“It’s not just a case like with some of the other managers where it’s been a little bit toxic at times.
“The boys are firmly behind the manager. That’s the be all and end all and the way it will remain to stay.
“We’ve got an amazing coaching staff as well. People can get lost in translation and carried away with what the players think and what they say behind closed doors.
“We just want to do well for the football club and it’s as simple as that.”
McTominay has been one of Ten Hag’s star performers this season with six goals from midfield.
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He found the target twice in an impressive 2-1 win over Chelsea last midweek only to flop with the rest of the players in losing 3-0 at home to Bournemouth.
The Scottish international believes the inconsistency is due to a lack of work rate in every game.
He said: “As you can see in the Premier League every team is super athletic. You go and play in the Champions League and every team can run.
“For us a lot of the time we need to match that and more whenever you play for this club.
“That’s been a clear message for all of us on the pitch who are playing that we need to get together sometimes.
“The manager can’t do too much from the sidelines, it needs to come from the players and we need to stick together while we are on the pitch as well.
“With the ideas we have, sometimes the way we play has been amazing.
“It’s about finding that consistency and balance where we can continue to do that on a consistent basis with high energy levels. When we play against Chelsea like that, we can do good things.”
McTominay looked like he was heading out of OId Trafford in the summer having lost his place in the team.
But the Academy graduate has kept his head down, worked hard and won back the manager’s faith in him.
He said: “There is always speculation around every player at Manchester United. You have to perform to stay at Manchester United. For me it was a case of just get head down and work.
Man Utd face a crucial run of fixtures
“Of course that is the faith of the manager has been a massive one and you want to repay that as much as you can when you get on the pitch, you are going to have ups and downs as a football player, it is not always sunshine and rainbows.
It certainly wasn’t on a damp stormy Saturday when United lost for the first time in their history at home to Bournemouth with The Cherries romping to a 3-0 win.
At the same time tomorrow’s opponents Bayern Munich were losing 5-1 away to Eintracht Frankfurt.
United need to beat Bayern and hope that Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen draw for them to progress into the knockout stages of the Champions League.
They would have to end Bayern’s unbeaten run in the group stage of 39 games dating back to September 2017.
Ten Hag knows if they play like they did against Bournemouth they will be out.
He also believes if his inconsistent side produce a performance like they did in the 2-1 victory over Chelsea a few days earlier they can do it.
Ten Hag said: “I never think of a negative scenario, we think positive, we know what to do, we have to win to stay in Europe, it’s about that, we will prepare the team with that feeling, with that belief, we have shown in the last weeks when we are at our best we can do it.
“The game against Chelsea, the game against Everton, the game against Galatasaray, I know this team can perform to really high levels, we did it last week.
“I know we can do it, if we start with the right attitude, everyone can do it.”
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