Erik ten Hag dropped Manchester United star for being late to team meeting

Erik ten Hag dropped a Manchester United star from his plans on the club’s pre-season tour after he twice turned up late to team meetings.

The Dutchman has made an impressive start to life at Old Trafford, with the players showing encouraging signs that they’re getting to grips with his methods and tactics.

However, Ten Hag puts as much emphasis on matters off the pitch and he’s been clear that disciplinary breaches will not be tolerated.

That much was clear when, according to The Athletic, an unnamed player twice turned up late for team meetings and was dropped from Ten Hag’s plans for a friendly in Australia.

Ten Hag had been planning to use the player but he was punished by being left out completely.

The Dutchman places huge importance on punctuality and will not let standards slip in the way that they did under previous managers.

His rules have earned praise from the likes of Bruno Fernandes and David De Gea, who both feel that the squad need discipline.

‘We needed a better culture of football, of just thinking about football, nothing else,’ the long-serving Spanish goalkeeper said last week when asked about his new manager’s philosophy.

‘Of course, you cannot be late. People who work in their jobs, you cannot be late. So I think you cannot be late for training, we cannot be late for the meetings. That’s life, you have to be on time and professional.’

When quizzed on if he thinks some of his team mates ‘lost focus’ last season, his answer was simple: ‘I don’t know. In general, if you want to perform properly, you have to be more focused at the top level.’

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Diogo Dalot