Man Utd flops have silly request for ‘day off’ rejected by ‘surprised staff’ after dismal Fulham loss

Some Manchester United players ‘surprised’ staff by asking for Sunday off after the Red Devils’ Premier League loss to Fulham, according to a report.

United were found wanting on Saturday as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Marco Silva’s men at Old Trafford.

Manager Erik ten Hag praised the character shown by his players after they fought back from a goal down but they were ultimately downed by Alex Iwobi’s winner deep into stoppage time.

It was another disappointing result for the Red Devils, who seem to crumble whenever they are without one or two regular starters.

Rasmus Hojlund has been in fine form this year and Ten Hag’s side clearly missed his presence up front, while Luke Shaw was also injured and might not return until Euro 2024 with England, which could come too soon.

It was a bitterly disappointing afternoon and the United players were required to come into the training ground the following day, as they do every other week.

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However, it has been reported by The Guardian that ‘some players asked for the day off’, a request that was rejected by Ten Hag’s staff.

No players are named in the report, so it is not clear who wanted the entire weekend off after that showing on Saturday.

The ‘normal routine’ after a match is for the playing staff to come in for a warm-down and video analysis.

The request ’caused surprise’ after such a poor performance against Fulham and those who asked for the day off were ‘reminded of their commitments’.

The report states that Ten Hag – who shockingly enjoyed some lunch a couple of days after the Fulham loss – was ‘unaware’ of the requests to have Sunday off and it was his staff who told the players they had to come in.

Ten Hag is facing an uncertain future at Old Trafford with United eight points behind of Aston Villa in fourth and out of Europe after finishing bottom of their Champions League group below Galatasaray, FC Copenhagen and Bayern Munich.

United’s poor form this term and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s recent minority takeover has cast massive doubt over his long-term future at the club.

The Dutch manager is under contract until 2025 but there is talk of him being replaced at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Zinedine Zidane has been linked with Ten Hag’s job in recent days, while Thomas Tuchel is also believed to be on the club’s radar after confirming his decision to leave Bayern this summer.

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