Graeme Souness has raged over ‘wokeism’ ruining football following recent comments made by former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag was relieved of his duties at Old Trafford earlier this season amid a dire run of form for the fallen Premier League giants.
Speaking recently, the Dutchman said that the current generation of players are unable to take criticism.
Though no names were mentioned, it’s an open secret that the former Ajax boss fell out with several players during his time at the club – including Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.
Graeme Souness has raged over ‘wokeism’ ruining football following recent comments made by former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag
GETTY
Now, writing for the Daily Mail, Souness has raged over what he perceives to be ‘wokeism’ ruining football.
He said: “It was no surprise to hear Erik ten Hag, the former Manchester United manager, bemoan that the modern player can no longer take criticism.
“He’s right. A combination of factors is to blame. The wokeism that exists in everyday life and permeates through society. Money. Media exposure. And the power of their asset value to a football club.
“All of those elements make it extremely difficult to manage the modern footballer.
“If I even pulled a face at something a coach said to me in my time, even as a senior player and captain at Liverpool, I’d be met with a torrent of what today’s player would call abuse.
“It would be along the lines of ‘Who do you think you are?’ and ‘What have you ever achieved to warrant an opinion?’
“Today, the relentless media coverage, means the man on the street puts these players on a pedestal before they have ever made a proper impact on the game.
“They are little more than the kids from next door who have won the lottery.
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Graeme Souness has some sympathy for former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag
PA
“And, like me, many leave school without a tremendous education behind them and in many cases, because of the money they earn, they attract parasites who lead them down the wrong path.
“Many will never achieve the potential they have as a result.”
Souness then proceeded to rip into three players.
The former Liverpool star called out Rashford, Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho as individuals he thinks aren’t tough enough to play at the highest level.
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“Look at these young Manchester United pups like Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho or Marcus Rashford,” he continued.
“Who have they been listening to? Are we really surprised that in the week Ten Hag makes his comments, Garnacho still sulks off down the tunnel when he is substituted and we hear Ruben Amorim saying he will speak to him?
“No, challenging the manager is what we’ve come to expect. The tail is wagging the dog.
“You have to be super successful like Arne Slot this season or Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson before him.
Graeme Souness has blasted Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, who are both currently out on loan from Manchester United
PA
“These managers had teams that were winning nearly every week and that prevents the kind of behaviour we are seeing from these upstarts. The petulance they show.
“I do think Manchester United suffer from it more than most.
“The players get too much adulation too soon at that club, always put on a pedestal from an early age.
“As a player at Liverpool, if we lost, I wouldn’t want to go out in town on a Saturday night. Manchester is only 30 miles down the road from Liverpool, but I sense the attitude is different to players there.”