Manchester United's dressing room descended into 'TOXIC mix of backbiting and spitefulness'

Erik ten Hag has the challenge of turning around a 'toxic' dressing room culture as one of his key jobs at Manchester United.

The Dutch head coach is to be unveiled to the press on Monday afternoon, after United's dismal Premier League season came to an end with a 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

With the club missing out on the target of Champions League football, Ten Hag has the unenvious task of turning around a demoralised dressing room over the summer, in a bid to challenge at the top of the table next term.

However, it has been revealed that the situation maybe much more critical than first realised, with accounts emanating from Old Trafford suggesting that there is an immediate need to address the culture inside the club.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the United squad has been described as a 'toxic mix of backbiting and spitefulness' after a season to forget. While this has been publicised on previous occasions, more detail has emerged.

According to the report, 'bully behaviour' has been directed towards interim head coach Ralf Rangnick, who was nicknamed 'specs' by people close to one of the stars inside the dressing room.

Rangnick also had his decisions openly described as 'bad' by one player, while others moaned about the German talking to them 'like a child'. They also suggested they 'did not give a s****' about his advice.

Jesse Lingard's feelings on the state of the atmosphere inside the dressing room was laid bare by Paul Scholes during one media appearance, as he shared the winger's analysis that it was a 'disaster'. According to the report, Lingard was not fussed about the public sharing of his words.

It is also claimed that Lingard and Marcus Rashford were given no instructions whatsoever when they were sent on as substitutes during the 4-1 defeat by rivals Manchester City. 'They didn't have a f*****g clue what they were doing,' was the assessment of one source.

The blame for such instances was placed at the door of American coach Chris Armas. Some within Carrington felt the 49-year-old was 'out of his depth'.

Indeed, according to The Athletic, Armas was given a brutal assessment by former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, the Scot remarking: 'You'll need more than that here, son,' upon seeing his c.v.

Ferguson was reportedly fascinated by the frustration inside the United changing room and would often seek to guage the mood throughout the campaign.

Playing time was another frustration among the squad. The lack of team ethos was illustrated by one player's desire to speak 'disapragingly' of any other team-mate who was in his position.

There was also bewilderment surrounding the amount of game time handed to youngster Anthony Elanga. Some United team-mates described it as 'mind-boggling'.