Man Utd chief executive Richard Arnold reportedly held a tense ‘no-holds barred’ meeting with staff unhappy over their handling of a number of issues this season, including their handling of the Antony and Mason Greenwood sagas.
On the pitch, United have fallen to 13th place in the Premier League table after three losses in their first five games, and the club have also suffered from a spate of off-the-field problems.
Mason Greenwood was sent on loan to Spanish club Getafe with the club deciding not to reintegrate him into the squad following a six-month investigation after charges of attempted rape and assault were dropped by police.
Antony, meanwhile, is staying away from the first team on paid leave while he faces accusations of assault from three women in Brazil, which he denies.
Staff members at United were reportedly invited to a ‘no-holds barred’ meeting with Arnold on Monday to air their grievances, according to the Telegraph, with the Greenwood and Antony sagas high on the agenda.
Man United chief executive Richard Arnold reportedly fielded questions from unhappy staff
Staff members are said to have grilled him over the club’s handling of the Antony (L) and Mason Greenwood sagas
Employees were urged to send in anonymous questions on a Zoom call. Staff reportedly wanted answers on the club’s stance after Greenwood was initially suspended in January 2022 following the release of a video online, with Arnold claiming they were ‘insistent on an inclusive culture’ and fully against domestic violence.
United faced widespread criticism for the way they handled the Greenwood situation after reports emerged that Arnold was planning to bring the forward back.
Arnold again defended their process of suspending Greenwood and their eventual decision to send him on loan to Getafe, the report goes on, saying it was only made after the full investigation was completed.
Arnold – who is said to have faced some ‘very tough questions’ – is also claimed to have reassured his staff that the club still believe in the summer recruitment that saw them splash out more than £170million on the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat on loan.
He reportedly added that the club still fully back manager Erik Ten Hag despite the club’s difficult start to the campaign, with the latest defeat a damaging 3-1 loss at home to Brighton on Saturday.
To add to the mounting problems at Man Utd, winger Jadon Sancho – who cost £73m in 2021 – has been axed from the first team and is on an individual training programme after clashing with Ten Hag when he dropped him for their defeat to Arsenal before the international break.
United have become embroiled in a series of off-the-field issues at Old Trafford this season
Erik ten Hag has already fallen out with Jadon Sancho and banished him from training
Sancho responded to Ten Hag’s claims in a social media post that effectively branded him a liar before he further inflamed the situation by claiming to have been made a scapegoat
The Dutch coach claimed Sancho had been excluded from that match day squad over his ‘training performance’, with the player then accusing him of lying and insisting he had been made a scapegoat online.
Mail Sport revealed last week that Ten Hag banished Sancho after he refused to apologise for his social media post and the England star has continued to train on his own at Carrington.
While seeking to reassure his staff, Arnold also addressed United’s start to the season where they have slipped into the bottom half of the league.
Staff were told that summer recruitment will eventually be proved correct and there is still confidence in Ten Hag, who has guided the club into the Champions League and starts this season’s campaign away at Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
In general, the meeting was said to have included some very tough questions for the chief executive to answer. United’s summer has been dominated by Greenwood and Antony, and to a lesser degree Jadon Sancho being banished from the first-team squad over his standards in training.
