Manchester United drew 0-0 with Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday in their penultimate encounter before the international break—but a massive security concern at the Midlands club has since been highlighted.
Manchester United’s changing room was bugged at Aston Villa, with Erik ten Hag’s team speeches and individual player instructions recorded.
The stunning security breach has prompted Champions League club Villa to begin an inquiry into how the inner sanctuary of the stadium’s changing rooms was so brazenly penetrated before of such a major match.
A prankster claims he hoodwinked stadium personnel on Friday, two days before Sunday’s goalless draw, and then sneaked in and put a device in the away dressing room.
It caught Ten Hag and a slew of other talks during what might have been the Dutchman’s last match as Red Devils manager if he lost, given the strain he’s been under following United’s poor start to the Premier League season.According to the Sun, the individual behind the prank utilized a Chinese phone with a setting that allows a microphone to be triggered while calling from another device. The phone was taped out of sight in the United changing room, was not discovered when United workers set up the space ahead of the players’ entrance on matchday, and was only rang when the prankster realized Ten Hag and his team would be there going through their pre-match ritual.
A source informed The Sun, which claims to have heard the tapes but would not publish the details: “There will be serious concerns about how this was allowed to happen. Fortunately, there was nothing nefarious about the occurrence.
“It was simply a prankster, a United supporter, being goofy and curious about what was spoken behind those four walls. But it will undoubtedly raise concerns about how they were able to gain access to a changing room at one of the Premier League’s top teams only days before a match.Ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford is uncertain, with his team 14th in the Premier League, having earned only eight points from seven games.
But the ex-Ajax manager has stayed steady and cold on his future, even going on holiday after the Villa game, despite the club’s management – lead by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe – scheduling a key meeting on Tuesday where Ten Hag’s future, and whether or not to split ways, was high on the agenda.
