The Athletic has spoken to dozens of well-placed sources, all of whom will remain anonymous to protect relationships, to deliver the full story of a season that ended with Ten Hag surviving a major scare on his job, including:
Casemiro and Varane voicing a preference for coaching approach of Ancelotti and Zidane
Ten Hag’s frustrations at waiting months for a new doctor
Attempts to instil discipline after Vegas night out
Player complaints of “bad cop, bad cop” management
Executives question if Van der Gaag right fit as No 2
How McClaren and Fletcher lobbied for pragmatic football
Belief the lack of a sporting director undermined Ten Hag’s authority
Rashford’s 90-minute one-on-one with Brailsford
Squad’s desire for Kane, and other targets missed