Nemanja Vidic sends Manchester United dressing room message over new manager

Former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has told the club’s players they need to be open-minded about their new manager ahead of the summer.

United look to be edging nearer towards an appointment, with Erik ten Hag moving closer towards Old Trafford. Ajax expect the 52-year-old to become the new boss after he was interviewed for the role last month — although Ten Hag refused to address the subject when asked on Saturday.

Although United too insist they are yet to make a final decision on their next permanent manager, they still intend on having their appointment settled before the end of the season. Ten Hag emerged as the club’s favoured candidate earlier this year, having been one of the frontrunners along with Mauricio Pochettino following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking in November.

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Despite United having seemingly identified their man for the job, the club’s players don’t appear to be fully convinced. As reported by the Manchester Evening News, there is a split in the Old Trafford dressing room over Ten Hag’s potential arrival — with some viewing the appointment as ‘underwhelming’.

But United icon Vidic has urged his former club’s current crop to keep an open mind to whoever arrives as their new boss. In an interview with The Athletic, the former defender gave his thoughts on what the new manager needs to do in order to improve the club’s ailing fortunes.

“He needs the players to play as a team,” Vidic said. “It brings me back to the point of players needing to think about the team and not the individual.

“And he needs knowledge, with a clear idea of what he wants from the players on the pitch. He needs to be able