Ince slams Man Utd boss Ten Hag over ‘lack of respect’ after Reading FA Cup match

Joe Williams
Man Utd legend Paul Ince shakes hands with Erik ten Hag

Paul Ince thinks Erik ten Hag and his Man Utd staff showed a “lack of respect” after the Red Devils beat Reading in the FA Cup fourth round last month.

Two goals from Casemiro and another from Fred sunk the Royals last weekend as Man Utd advanced into the fifth round, where they will face fellow Premier League club West Ham.

But Ince was far from happy at the lack of hospitality from Ten Hag with the Dutchman failing to ask the former Man Utd midfielder if he wanted a glass of wine, a custom among Proper Football Men.

“I went straight up to see Sir Alex [Ferguson] because I got a text from him afterwards to say ‘come up and see me’,” Ince said in a pre-match press conference ahead of Reading’s clash with Watford on Saturday.

“So myself, my wife and Thomas (Ince) went up there and spent an hour with him. It disappointed me because none of the United staff asked me in for a glass of wine. I didn’t like that, it’s a lack of respect.

“Whoever it is, win, lose or draw, you say pop in for a drink. Whether it’s wine or tea it doesn’t really matter.

“None of their staff did that so that was disappointing. I couldn’t give a monkeys but I just pride it on myself, as a manager, whether or not you get beaten, you say come in for a glass of wine.”

But Ince did have some praise for Ten Hag – who has got Man Utd moving in the right direction – with the Reading boss insisting that the Dutchman has “started to bridge that gap” to other top teams.

Ince added: “Ten Hag in a short period of time has lifted the club. The last two or three years have been tough for United fans.

“Ten Hag has started to bridge that gap. They are starting to get a presence about them. That is important, if you go back to the Fergie years there was a presence.”

The Man Utd boss had to find a solution to the news that Christian Eriksen will be missing until at least the end of April with Ten Hag bringing in Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich until the end of the season.

And former Man Utd defender Rio Ferdinand was “delighted” with the signing, he said on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel: “I am absolutely delighted with it. If I was trying to get a short-term replacement for Eriksen at the drop of a hat, Sabitzer is the player I would get.

“I watched a hell of a lot of this player when he was at RB Leipzig and he was sensational. He was integral to everything they did.

“Yes he’s gone to Bayern and hasn’t tore it up there or become a regular but the players he’s behind are big, household names.

“He will be a really good signing for Man United. He’s an experienced player who has played in big games, Champions League games.

“For me, those comments [from Paul Merson] stink of someone who hasn’t seen him play and who wouldn’t know who he is or if he’s left or right-footed because you can’t say it’s a bad signing.

“This guys knows how to play football. You don’t get signed by Bayern Munich if you’re a chump. He’s a really, really good footballer. Manchester United couldn’t have done any better, I don’t think.”

READ MORE: Man Utd jog and managerial upgrades – each Premier League club’s best decision of the season