According to reports, Manchester United’s squad are glad to see the back of former assistant manager Steve Holland.
Holland, who was Gareth Southgate’s assistant for England, joined Man Utd with Michael Carrick when the club legend returned to Old Trafford as caretaker boss at the start of this year.
It was considered a sensible move to recruit Holland due to his huge experience and renowned tactical acumen, but reports say he was not popular in the Man Utd dressing room.
Holland has left Man Utd following the sacking of Carrick, with incoming boss Mauricio Pochettino to bring in a new coaching team when he takes over.
A new report from Roundtable claims Holland came across as being ‘extremely arrogant’ during his time at Man Utd as he eventually ‘became unpopular’.
READ: Harry Kane ‘drops biggest hint yet’ on Mauricio Pochettino reunion after £20m deal raises questions
It is claimed that ‘Holland sometimes clashed with his players’, while ‘his instructions were not easy to follow’.
He was also said to ‘remain stubborn when United were losing, with some describing him as “difficult to work with”’.
There were plenty of bumps en route to Carrick’s sacking, including captain Bruno Fernandes’ outburst after the 4-1 loss to Como in the Champions League.
Steve Holland called for Michael Carrick to drop Bruno Fernandes
And the report claims Holland was the main cause of Fernandes’ anger.
READ MORE: Man Utd squad trust ranked for Mauricio Pochettino from Baleba to Rashford
The report explains:
‘One source described him as “extremely arrogant” and not a popular figure at Carrington since his arrival earlier this year. As United’s bad form continued this season, Holland was seen looking more miserable around Carrington on a day-to-day basis.
‘Roundtable also understands that Bruno Fernandes’ comments in the post-match Como interview were directed largely towards Holland, not just Michael Carrick. Holland then pushed for the captain to be dropped after the Champions League tie, which happened.’
Club legend Teddy Sheringham thinks United were right to sack Carrick, with the former bloss to blame if Holland was a problem.
“It’s ridiculous how they’ve gone from being on this fantastic run at the end of last season under Catrick to not looking like they’re able to respond,” Sheringham said.
“It’s just a very weird setup, and I know they’re saying there’s no plans to replace him but that’s just giving him the dreaded vote of confidence in another way.
“If it’s a coaching problem, if it’s a Steve Holland problem, it’s still down to Michael.
“Michael’s the one employing these people. The buck stops with him. Whatever’s going on, whether it’s good, bad, or indifferent, it’s down to Michael. If something’s not right, he should be addressing it, and I’m sure he is, but it all looks very shaky.”
READ NEXT: Michael Carrick was doomed long ago; he was a little bit the problem at Manchester United
