Erik ten Hag says this current generation of players struggle dealing with criticism as the former Manchester United manager lifted the lid on his time at Old Trafford for the first time since his sacking.
The Dutchman, who was dismissed by United in October and replaced by Ruben Amorim, received criticism from his former players for being too strict during his two years at the club.
“This generation, for example, generally has a hard time dealing with criticism,” Ten Hag explained while appearing on the SEG Stories podcast.
“Criticism really affects them. The generation I grew up in had much thicker skin. You could be much more direct. If I did that with my players, it would demotivate them.”
Ten Hag, 55, famously fell out with Cristiano Ronaldo during his first few months at the club before banishing Jadon Sancho from the first-team after publicly questioning the England winger’s commitment to training.
Raphael Varane labelled his former manager as being “tense at times” in a recent interview and explained after voicing concerns to Ten Hag about his relationship with the team that he did not play for two months.
Ten Hag has not taken another job since being dismissed last year and despite being recently linked with the Borussia Dortmund job, he revealed he may never return to the dugout as he continues to decide on his next steps.
“There are so many other things I could do,” the former Ajax coach added.
“Maybe in football, in a new position as a manager. That’s an option. And maybe something completely different.
“I’ve been working with my brothers lately. We have our own company. Or rather: they have their own company.
“But we also run a company together with our father. That’s also something I love to do. I can now give that more attention and it’s also a lot of fun.”
