After finishing at Manchester United last summer, Raphael Varane spoke about a leadership style in Erik ten Hag, which did not exactly inspire confidence among the players. During his first weeks on the job as Bayer Leverkusen coach, the Dutchman has now caused turmoil “in the dressing room”.
German Sport Bild claims the Dutch coach’s slowness in initiating dialogue with the players has caused Leverkusen players to react, especially experienced midfielder Xhaka, who last season made 49 appearances on the pitch under Xabi Alonso. The Swiss star is said to have been “upset” and “annoyed” after waiting almost three weeks to hear from Ten Hag after the coach’s official appointment.
READ: Threatening the biggest Real Madrid stars with awkward existence on the bench
Although Ten Hag eventually reached out to reassure the former Arsenal player of his importance to future plans at Leverkusen, the long silence has left Xhaka questioning his status and future in the squad. This opened up interest from AC Milan.
According to German Sky Sports, there are no talks between the clubs, which sporting director Rolfes confirms to Kicker.
Read on Radiosporten: Ally McCoist names the best Scottish footballer of all time
Still, not a good start for Ten Hag. For Varane and several of the Manchester United players, surely no surprise.
