Man Utd Squad 'Disappointed' With Club's Treatment of Sergio Romero
By Tom Gott
A number of Manchester United players have voiced their frustrations at the manner in which goalkeeper Sergio Romero has been treated, after the Argentine failed to seal a move away from Old Trafford this summer.
Romero's frustration first began brewing in last season's FA Cup semi-final, when he had expected to start and was surprisingly omitted in favour of David de Gea, and United's decision to keep Dean Henderson around this year without even telling Romero also came as a crushing blow.
The goalkeeper was left out of United's 25-man Champions League squad and now appears to be the fourth-choice shot stopper at Old Trafford, but despite his diminished role, United did not agree to let him leave the club during the summer - something which attracted fury from his wife.
Alongside Romero's wife, ESPN claim that a number of first-team players have also spoken up in support of the goalkeeper, questioning how United could justify demanding £10m to part ways with the loyal player.
Romero is a popular member of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad and while most players would keep him around in an ideal world, they have accepted that Romero is upset and frustrated with his situation and would have liked to see him granted his wish of a move away.
The United dressing room has been the subject of a handful of reports in recent days. Italian outlet La Repubblica recently hinted that there was a growing toxicity behind the scenes at Old Trafford which is impacting player performances.
The report, which focuses on Romelu Lukaku's move away from United last summer, directly names Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial as two negative forces and blames the pair for splitting the team into different cliques.
There was also a claim from The Athletic that Bruno Fernandes led a furious half-time rant during the 6-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, questioning how the team could concede four goals in the first half, and while that is seen as a professional response to a grave situation, it will have hardly helped improve the mood.
Back on the pitch, it hasn't been a good start to the season for United. The Red Devils sit 16th in the Premier League after winning just one of their three games so far, and there was even an air of good fortune about that 3-2 victory over Brighton.
Things don't look to be getting any easier for Solskjaer's side. Newcastle, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, RB Leipzig and Arsenal are their next five opponents, and a string of poor results would only increase the pressure on everyone at Old Trafford.