Manchester United won't be holding a pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday's Carabao Cup clash with Newcastle, as Erik ten Hag faces increasing scrutiny

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Football Digest: Man Utd urged to give Ten Hag time he needs

Erik ten Hag has chosen not to speak to the media ahead of Manchester United's crucial Carabao Cup clash with Newcastle.

The Red Devils are under huge pressure to respond to Sunday's comprehensive 3-0 loss at home to arch rivals Manchester City. Ten Hag himself is facing more criticism than ever, with his position as manager being vigorously debated in the wake of another derby demolition at Old Trafford.

As the post-mortem quickly began, United legend Roy Keane called for Bruno Fernandes to be stripped of the captaincy following his petulant performance. Fellow ex-skipper Gary Neville also launched another tirade on the club's unpopular owners, the Glazer family, and struggling star Marcus Rashford was allegedly spotted partying in Manchester with teammate Tyrell Malacia just hours after the humiliating defeat, risking Ten Hag's wrath.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp regularly sends his assistant, Pep Lijnders, to do their pre-match media duties for cup games. Last term, Ten Hag only arranged press conferences to preview the two semi-final legs against Nottingham Forest and ahead of the final in February, which his side ended up beating Newcastle 2-0 in at Wembley.

This season seems to be following the same pattern. The former Ajax manager didn't hold a press conference ahead of the Red Devils' third-round clash with Crystal Palace in September and there'll also be no formal look ahead to the Newcastle game.

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Erik ten Hag chose not to speak to the media ahead of facing Newcastle ( Image:

Mirror Football understands that United aren't happy with Premier League plans for more interview access to be written into TV contracts, as part of the upcoming rights deals. The Red Devils face more media attention than any other club, with Ten Hag notably giving fewer interviews to broadcast companies this season, a campaign which for United has got off to a woeful start.

The 20-time English champions have lost five of their opening 10 top-flight games for the first time since 1986. Ten Hag's men also only have one win from their opening three matches in the Champions League, leaving them third in Group A and on course to be relegated to the Europa League.

Erik ten Hag has led Manchester United to five defeats in their opening 10 Premier League games ( Image:

This is expected to give Ratcliffe and his INEOS sporting division control of the club's football operations, with fans desperate for a change of direction after nearly two decades of frustration under the Glazers - a significant portion of which was masked by Sir Alex Ferguson's achievements before his retirement in 2013. It's understood that the debt-ridden Red Devils currently owe around PS1bn, and like their problems, that sum is only mounting.

Ten Hag has insisted that his team's focus remains on turning their poor form around and not on United's 11-month sale saga. There are, however, echoes of complaints under previous managers which are beginning to grow louder. ESPN report that there are concerns within the dressing room that Ten Hag's training sessions are too intense and have played a role in the Red Devils' ongoing injury crisis.

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The Sun also claim that the furious Dutch boss made his underperforming stars sit in silence following their hammering at the hands of City, while numerous players reportedly weren't pleased with the absence of left-back Sergio Reguilon from the starting XI. Ten Hag had planned to give them an extra day off if they'd beaten their bitter rivals, but United were straight back to work on Monday.