Manchester United’s end-of-season awards have reportedly been cancelled. (Image: Getty)
Manchester United have reportedly cancelled their end-of-season awards dinner following a disappointing campaign that has left the Red Devils sat in eighth place in the Premier League table. Their latest defeat came at the hands of Arsenal in a 1-0 home loss, as drastic action has been taken with just three games remaining before the curtain falls on Erik ten Hag’s second year in charge.
The Athletic claim that after discussions were held between head coach Ten Hag and the football hierarchy, a decision was made to cancel the celebrations in order to prevent any distractions before the FA Cup final.
The club will typically organise a black-tie evening held at Old Trafford that is broadcasted by in-house station MUTV to reflect on the season, hand out the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award, while recognising exceptional academy talent that has broken into the first team.
Marcus Rashford is the reigning player of the year, having taken over from Cristiano Ronaldo, but failed to replicate his stellar form in a dismal campaign that has United staring at the reality of finishing outside the division’s top five.
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Erik ten Hag was involved in the decision to cancel Manchester United’s awards party. (Image: Getty)
Defeating local rivals Manchester City could be United’s only way into Europe next season, barring positive results against Newcastle and Brighton in the final week of the league season.
Following consultations with Ten Hag and those in senior football positions, the ceremony has been cancelled in order for the players to commit their total focus to the task at hand at Wembley.
Not only do senior players attend but also under-21 stars, coaching staff, club staff, sponsors, supporters and key figures such as Sir Alex Ferguson typically take part in the event scheduled for May 20, just a few days before a Manchester derby FA Cup final on May 25.
Players will still receive their awards, which their peers, coaches and supporters vote on, but there will be no event celebrating their achievements this season. Last year, award recipients were presented with their trophies on the Old Trafford pitch in the final game of the campaign.
The glitzy event has been running for over a decade, barring a two-year hiatus during Covid-19, and is typically an event that players especially look forward to after a gruelling season.
It is not the first time that the club has taken such measures, having also cancelled the event at the end of the 2021/22 season under Ralf Rangnick, after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been sacked earlier in the campaign. That year the call was said to have been driven by the players, who did not feel that their performances justified celebration.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1898363/Man-Utd-news-awards-dinner-cancelled-Ten-Hag