Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has downplayed reports of dressing room discontent at Old Trafford, saying unrest is inevitable with a deep squad.
The German has suggested the squad he inherited is too big, with many players unhappy at their lack of playing time.
United suffered a demoralising 1-0 home defeat to Wolves on Monday that could prove costly in their bid to finish in the Premier League’s top four.
The Mirror newspaper reported on Thursday that as many as 17 players wanted to leave the club, who are 22 points behind leaders Manchester City.
“If you have that many players and 10 outfield players can play and three being substituted, then of course you have quite a number of players — in our case 12, 13, 14 players who don’t even play, or not even being in the squad,” said Rangnick on Friday.
“Then those players are not happy about that situation. It’s obvious, it’s clear.
“In total, we have a big squad. I tend to explain to players every two or three weeks why they are not playing but obviously I cannot do that every game and that is an issue in our team as well as in other clubs.”
Ralf Rangnick, the interim manager of Manchester United, has played down rumors of unhappiness in the dressing room at Old Trafford, claiming that with such a large group, unrest is unavoidable.
The German has claimed that the squad he took over is too big, with many players dissatisfied with their lack of playing time.
On Monday, United suffered a demoralizing 1-0 home defeat to Wolves, which could cost them a place in the Premier League's top four.
According to the Mirror newspaper, as many as 17 players wanted to leave the team, which is 22 points behind Manchester City.
"Of course, if you have so many players and 10 outfield players who can play and three who can be substituted, you have a lot of players – in our situation, we have a lot of players."