'Dressing room would eat him alive' – Man Utd player's bombshell claim over manager target

Brentford manager Thomas Frank has been linked with the Manchester United job amid ongoing doubts about Erik ten Hag's future, though it sounds like some of the players wouldn't fancy him

A Manchester United player reportedly thinks Thomas Frank would be "eaten alive" by the dressing room if he replaced Erik ten Hag as manager.

The Brentford boss is one of a number of names being linked with the Old Trafford job, with Ten Hag heavily tipped for the sack following United's dismal start to the season. Thomas Tuchel was thought to have been the frontrunner, particularly after holding talks with Red Devils minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the summer, but is out of the running after being confirmed as England manager.

That leaves Frank jostling for position with the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Gareth Southgate and Graham Potter, all of whom are reportedly being considered for the job in the event of a Ten Hag axing. But according to former Premier League ace Don Hutchison, Frank wouldn't be a particularly popular choice among some players.

"I won't name names, but I spoke to a Man United player about two weeks ago and we were chatting [about who could replace Ten Hag]," Hutchison, 53, told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I said Thomas Frank, and he said to me, 'that dressing room would eat him alive'."

Hutchison's claim comes just a few hours before Frank's Brentford take on Ten Hag's United at Old Trafford. The Red Devils started the weekend 14th in the table, with just two wins from their opening seven matches in the Premier League. Brentford, meanwhile, are two points above United in 12th.

Frank, who was reportedly one of four coaches Chelsea considered as Mauricio Pochettino's replacement in the summer, has been at Brentford since 2018. In his second full season he led the Bees to Premier League promotion, and managed a top-half finish in the 2022/23 season.

Continuing, Hutchison said the fact that Frank was being written off internally "summed up" the ongoing issues at United. "If you're not accepting a manager and a coach like Thomas Frank who would get you organised [then you've got problems].

"Because that's what you see as a fan. It doesn't matter if your team is losing every single week, what you want to see as a fan is your team organised, which United aren't, and those players running for the badge, which they're not."

Hutchison also suggested that Ten Hag wasn't fit for the job, and rubbished the Dutchman's claim that United are "moving in the right direction". He said: "How is he motivating these players to run hard and be organised?

"[Ten Hag] came out today quite defiant, saying, and I quote, 'we are still going in the right direction'. So you're 14th in the league. You've got no wins in Europe. You've got a minus three goal difference and only one win in the last six in the Premier League. How is that going in the right direction?"

Hutchison spent just shy of 20 years as a player in English football. The former midfielder, who played 26 times for Scotland, had notable stints with Liverpool, West Ham, Everton and Sheffield United. He retired in 2009.

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