da winzada777： Andy Cole says there is “definitely a mole” at Manchester United, with unfortunate stories being leaked from inside the Old Trafford dressing room.

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Red Devils struggling for consistency once againDutch coach has fallen out with certain playersLittle return seen on big transfer investmentWHAT HAPPENED?

Erik ten Hag is in danger of losing control, with the Dutch coach seeing serious questions asked of his future amid another inconsistent season for the Red Devils across domestic and continental competition. There have been reports of divides forming inside the camp, with the likes of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane being frozen out, while supposed superstars such as Marcus Rashford have suffered alarming dips in form.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT COLE SAID ABOUT MAN UTD

United have been unable to stop the bad news from spilling out, with 1999 treble winner Cole telling of a difficult situation: "There’s definitely a mole isn’t there? Nothing comes out of a good dressing room, regardless of what’s been going on. Players fall out, the manager and players fall out and these are things that you’d expect to happen in football, but if you’re in a good dressing room, nobody hears about what’s happening.

"If you’ve got that winning mentality and you want to compete, then not everybody’s going to get on due to the competitive nature of the dressing room. At Manchester United now, information is being leaked so regularly and if the dressing room was truly united, then that wouldn’t be happening. Information usually comes out when things aren’t doing well. Some players won’t be happy about their game time, the form of the team or their own form. Everything that’s coming out of the dressing room is negative and that can’t be helping the team and allowing them to move forward."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Cole says United have been on this slippery slope for some time, with a once dominant force in English football falling behind Premier League rivals on and off the pitch. The former frontman added: "It’s a completely different situation now to when Sir Alex Ferguson was at the club. Players used to be desperate to come to Manchester United and to win things. If it was like the old days, Erik ten Hag could fall out with Jadon Sancho and go out and get X, Y or Z. It’s a little bit different now because of the position that Manchester United find themselves in. It’s now harder for the club to entice players and encourage them to move to Old Trafford.

"How many big names do you see being linked with moves to Manchester United now? Barely any. All the big names are now linked with moves to the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool. When you fall out with players, you have to be very careful because ultimately you’re going to need them in the end, unless their replacement is better than what you had previously. For a long time now, Manchester United have brought in players who haven’t been much better than the players they’ve let go. We’ve been caught in that situation for over 10 years now."

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

United have continued to spend big in the transfer market – acquiring the likes of Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund in the summer of 2023 – but little return has been seen on that investment and further movement in and out of Old Trafford is now required as Sir Jim Ratcliffe prepares to acquire a 25 per cent stake in the club.