Man United have confirmed that the club had “taken action against several media organisations, not for publishing stories we don’t like, but for doing so without first contacting us to give us the opportunity to comment, challenge or contextualize”.
Kaveh Solhekhol, Samuel Luckhurst, David McDonnell and Rob Dawson have all been blocked from joining Ten Hag’s press conference this afternoon.
Another newspaper was banned from attending a press conference last month after they wrote that Ten Hag was “on thin ice”.
A United spokesperson claims the ban has been imposed as the club was not approached for comment on a multiply-sourced stories.
The Manchester Evening News was notified of the ban by the communications director, Andrew Ward, who sits next to Ten Hag at press conferences. Ward joined the club in 2019 as head of corporate and commercial communications.
Ward replaced former press officer Karen Shotbolt last year while Ellie Norman is the chief communications officer, though is not based in Manchester.
A number of journalists have claimed Ward has stopped them from asking questions in press conferences over perceived negative coverage.
United have lost 10 games this season – the quickest they have broken double figures for defeats in a campaign since 1973-74, when they went down to the second tier.
United have spent more than £400million on signings since Ten Hag was appointed in May 2022 and are seventh in the Premier League table with a goal difference of -1, having lost six of their 14 games.
Newcastle United eliminated United from the League Cup – the only competition the club has won in the last six-and-a-half-years – last month and United are in danger of going out of the Champions League at the group stage against Bayern Munich next week.
