One former Manchester United player has spoken out about Erik ten Hag, claiming he left the club after just one conversation with the manager.
Ten Hag took over as United manager in May 2022, succeeding interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
Since then, he has overseen the departures of several of the club’s biggest players in recent years, most notably Cristiano Ronaldo who left the club for the second time following his damning tell-all interview with Piers Morgan.
And now, one player who left the club during Ten Hag’s tenure has revealed that he decided to leave the club after just one conversation with the Dutchman.
James Garner left United in September 2022, joining current club Everton in a £15million deal, including add-ons.
Talking about his time with his boyhood club to BBC Sport in 2023, the midfielder said: “Ten Hag is a very approachable guy but is very strict.
“He takes no one bending the rules. He will say it how it is and will punish people if they have done the wrong things.
“My talk with him was easy. I asked him plain and simple whether I was going to be in the squad or if he saw me playing a part. I felt the conversation did not go as well as I wanted and I made the decision to move.
“I definitely had conversations with him [Ten Hag] but I’d just come off the back of a good season, probably the best season I possibly could have had so I didn’t want to stagnate and sit on the bench week in, week out,” Garner admitted.
James Garner made seven appearances for Manchester United. (Image: Getty)
“Nothing is promised in football but when they start signing three, four midfielders you kind of understand your place. It was a decision that I wanted to make as soon as I went back, to go find first-team football somewhere else.”
The Englishman made just seven appearances for United and spent the majority of his time at the club on loan with teams like Watford and Nottingham Forest, where he enjoyed significantly more minutes.
At Everton, the 23-year-old has made 63 appearances, scoring two goals and registering three assists from the defensive midfield position.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, James Garner, Everton, Transfers, Premier League, Football