Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick has told discontented players they must be ‘professional’ in how they deal with their disappointment.
A number of fringe players are known to be unhappy at Old Trafford.
Striker Anthony Martial has asked to leave and negotiations are continuing with Sevilla.
In addition, Jesse Lingard, Donny van de Beek, Dean Henderson, Eric Bailly and Juan Mata are all frustrated at their lack of game time.
Mata, Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani have contracts that run out at the end of the season.
That has contributed to a sense of unease at United, with levels of negative publicity increasing after the dismal Premier League home defeat by Wolves on 3 January.
Recent reports had suggested midfielder Fred had also been keen to leave but the Brazilian insisted on Friday that was not the case.
“I just want to say that I am very happy here and I have never expressed any dissatisfaction and the possibility of leaving the club,” Fred tweeted.
“Don’t get misled by fake news. We will continue to work with great dedication to pursue our goals.”
Rangnick – brought in after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November – says he tries to speak to players individually every two or three weeks.
However, doing so after every game is impossible and the German is calling on his squad to be professional in their reactions.
“We have a big squad,” he said. “If you have that many players and only 10 outfield players can play, and three being substitutes, then you have quite a number of players who don’t play or are not even in the squad. Those players are unhappy about the situation. It’s obvious. It’s clear.
“We also have players with contracts expiring in the summer and maybe also one or two who want to leave even though they are under contract.
“It’s about the players dealing with that situation in a professional way. As far as I can tell so far the players have been doing that. If I realise this is not the case, I will address the players directly.”
In addition to unhappy players, Rangnick still has to convince some he is the right man to lead them.
Although the 63-year-old has vast experience, he recent management roles were limited to a couple of seasons at RB Leipzig.
He has brought in two coaches, Chris Armas and Ewan Sharp, who have no top level experience in Europe.
And, while senior United figures are convinced Rangnick will help find the right replacement for Solskjaer at the end of the season, the players are less sure.
However, Rangnick says his squad are buying into his ideas.
“I’m sure they are listening and I think we showed in the last games they are trying to follow the advice I give them,” he said.
“We are conceding less goals than before, 0.6 per game compared to an average of 1.7. But it’s about balance.
“We need to find the best possible balance between offence and defence. This is still something we have to get better on.”
