- United have reportedly called off the dinner for the second time in three years
- Erik ten Hag and management want players to be focused on the FA Cup final
- Erik ten Hag’s potential replacement needs to beware ‘micro-manager’ Sir Jim Ratcliffe – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
Manchester United have reportedly cancelled their end of season awards meal, originally scheduled for May 20.
The club claims it is because they do not want to distract players ahead of the FA Cup final against Manchester City five days later.
In a tradition dating back more than a decade, United typically hand out prizes to their men’s, women’s, and academy team players at a black-tie soiree.
That includes the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award, previously won by Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, and Roy Keane.
However, the ceremony will not go ahead after Erik ten Hag and management were consulted, according to The Athletic.
Manchester United’s end of season award ceremony has reportedly been cancelled
Erik ten Hag and club management do not want players being distracted ahead of the FA Cup final
The awards ceremony has a tradition dating back more than a decade but was also called off in 2022
It is the second time in three years that the Red Devils have called off the back-slapping shindig.
Players requested the ceremony to be cancelled after the 2021/22 season, in which United came sixth in the Premier League.
Ten Hag’s men are on course for the worst finish in the club’s Premier League history as they sit eighth, having won one of their last eight league games.
The awards will still be voted for and handed out among the players, but there will be no gathering devoted to them.
That’s despite the success of the women’s side, who lifted the FA Cup on Sunday thanks to a 4-0 win over Tottenham.
It is also a shame United’s ‘goal of the season’ will not get any hurrahs as that is a crowded field.
Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Diogo Dalot, and Rasmus Hojlund might all have fancied themselves for a chorus of cheers in that category.
While the women’s team had everything to celebrate at Wembley, it was a stormy day for the men’s team at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Players will still vote for and receive awards, but will have no ceremony to celebrate them
The women’s team won the FA Cup final against Tottenham on Sunday in a 4-0 Wembley rout
The men’s team endured a miserable 1-0 defeat by Arsenal under biblical rain and are on course for the club’s worst Premier League finish
Arsenal have taken the title race against Manchester City to the final day of the season
They succumbed 1-0 to Arsenal after a Leandro Trossard goal, though as much attention was given to the stadium’s apparent inability to cope with the inclement weather.
The away dressing room flooded while a deluge of rain cascaded into one corner of the ground due to a roof leak, with a torrent pouring under seats.
‘Old Trafford is falling down,’ sang the Arsenal fans.
