Ralf Rangnick is facing a player revolt at Manchester United after doubling down on his claim that Jesse Lingard demanded to be left out of his squad.
Rangnick has refused to budge on his stance that the midfielder told him he was not in the right frame of mind to face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on Friday night.
Lingard took to social media to reveal that he had been told to take some time off to deal with a personal issue.
United suffered a shock exit on penalties at the hands of Championship Boro - and Rangnick stuck by his explanation why the England international was missing.
It hasn’t gone down well in the Old Trafford dressing room.
Rangnick had a similar bust-up with Anthony Martial last month when the Frenchman hit back at his manager’s claim he did not want to play at Brentford.
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Some senior United players believe such problems should be addressed in-house.
They can’t understand why Rangnick has chosen to go public with sensitive team issues.
An insider said: “It isn’t the United way to voice these issues in the media.
“This is a time to stick together, not go public with things that might cause division.”
But Rangnick has been given the task of qualifying for the Champions League during his six-month spell as manager.
And he feels he must be honest about the problems he is facing.
Martial declared he was fit and ready to play after Rangnick said the striker asked to be left out of his plans for the 3-1 win at Brentford over Christmas.
A deal was then done for him to join Sevilla on loan for the rest of the season.
Lingard, 29, also wanted to leave Old Trafford during the transfer window after playing just one Premier League minute under Rangnick since the German was appointed interim boss in December.
Newcastle were priced out of a move for the midfielder after United demanded a £6million loan fee and a £12million bonus should the Magpies win their relegation fight.
West Ham were also interested in taking Lingard on loan after a successful spell at the London Stadium last year.
The exit door was then slammed shut when United allowed Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek to join Everton on loan
The player is out of contract at the end of the season after rejecting a new contract offer.
But Lingard hit back at Rangnick’s suggestion that he didn’t fancy facing Boro by explaining he had been granted time off at the club’s suggestion to deal with an issue in his private life.
United were also without striker Edinson Cavani for the third-round tie after the Uruguayan was hit by jet-lag after returning to play for his country in World Cup qualifiers.
Rangnick said: “Cavani played for Uruguay on Wednesday and with jet lag and the travel arrangements it would not have made sense for him to play.
“He wouldn't have been in the squad anyway.
“And with Jesse, I told what my information was and my knowledge was.
“Of course I would have loved to have had Jesse in the squad.
“We were one outfield player less on the team-sheet, so why would I have allowed him to have four or five days off?
“I would have loved to have had him in the squad but it was not the case and therefore it doesn't make sense to speak about players who were not available.”
