​Man Utd coach Phelan: Players no longer get break from scrutiny

Manchester United assistant coach, Mike Phelan, believes there is a lot more scrutiny on the players these days.

The Red Devils coach knows all about how the game has changed, given the evolution in the sport since his playing days and in the decades he has spent coaching.

Phelan enjoyed a lot of success at United as no.2 to Sir Alex Ferguson, before the Scotsman’s retirement.

Now he is helping manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as they try to usher in another era of success at United.

“In my day [as a player], everything was left on the football field and the supporters would go away and talk about it. Then they would come back [to the next game] and see if there was an improvement,” he said on the UTD Podcast.

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“Nowadays it is so automatic that you are under the spotlight before the game, during the game and after the game. And it continues non-stop.

“The outside influences now are huge. Whereas before, it could take you a day, or the morning after, to get over a disappointing result, now it is non-stop. Supporters – yours and other supporters – have an opinion and that’s fine, but it can influence a young player.

“We, as coaches, just want the young player to enjoy coming into the place, coming into the building, to kick a football around, to smile, to laugh, to be on that learning path with no hassle, no pressure. But we know that’s not real at the moment. It’s difficult.”