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• Zenden: Off-the-field uncertainty at Man Utd unhelpful for Ten Hag

  Boudewijn Zenden believes ongoings off the pitch at Old Trafford have not made Erik ten Hag's time at Manchester United any easier.

  Ten Hag's first season at Old Trafford was promising, finishing in the top four and ending the club's trophy drought as the Red Devils lifted the EFL Cup.

  However, Ten Hag's second season in Manchester has not reached the same standards, and though the club will face rivals Manchester City at Wembley in the FA Cup final later this month, United currently sit eighth in the Premier League, 14 points off the Champions League places.

  Ten Hag's tenure at Old Trafford has included a number of off-the-field incidents, with a fallout between himself and Jadon Sancho leading to the winger going out on loan to Borussia Dortmund, while Jim Ratcliffe also became co-owner of the club earlier this year.

  Zenden feels that events off the pitch have not made Ten Hag's job easy, as well as the lofty expectations that managing a club the size of United comes with.

  "I have a feeling a bit that at United, there's more going on than just the results, and that doesn't make it easy for Ten Hag," Zenden told Stats Perform. "As I said, you have the press, the pundits that all have their view on United.

  "That also comes probably with the frustration of the fact that United are one of the biggest clubs in the world that also had their time in Europe where they were very strong.

  "For that matter, they were a little bit off the pace, and that upsets people of course. You have to be able to guide the club, the team, the players, the crowd, everybody through that particular period and seize out the storm."

  With United stumbling in the Premier League, Ten Hag has come into increasing conflict with reporters of late.

  Ten Hag's countryman Arne Slot is reportedly in the frame for the Liverpool job with current incumbent Jurgen Klopp leaving at the end of the season.

  Zenden believes Slot's composure with the media will serve him well should he join Liverpool, an area where he feels Ten Hag has sometimes been lacking.

  "I think what could be in Slot's favour is that I think he's relatively calm in his press conferences," Zenden continued. "I don't think he will get tempted quickly to start an argument with the press.

  "I'm sure the press will be happy to try and lure him out to get a few controversial phrases out, but the way I look at it now, I think he's a little bit more composed.

  "This is something that maybe Ten Hag didn't help himself with also a few times this year. There's been a lot of upset. The results have not been what probably everybody would have expected."

• Simeone insists Atletico 'cannot stop pushing' after narrow Mallorca win

  Diego Simeone insists Atletico Madrid "cannot stop pushing" in their pursuit of Champions League qualification after a narrow 1-0 victory over Mallorca.

  Los Rojiblancos tightened their grip on fourth place in LaLiga, with Rodrigo Riquelme's fine individual effort in the fifth minute enough to secure back-to-back wins.

  With four games remaining, Simeone's side moved onto 67 points, six clear of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, who they beat 3-1 last weekend.

  The Atleti boss was thrilled by his players' performance levels, but has urged them not to rest on their laurels.

  "The team interpreted the plan very well," he said. "The commitment was incredible from [Angel] Correa to [Jan] Oblak to play an intelligent game from a defensive point of view.

  "After the goal, we controlled the game. We defended as a team and did a great job. We need to continue improving, and we can't stop pushing until the season is over."

  Echoing his manager's thoughts, defender Axel Witsel told Movistar Plus+: "It was very important to win. We wanted to win and stay six points ahead. We have to keep it up.

  "After Riquelme scored a fantastic goal, we managed to stay well-organised to secure the result."

• 'It hurts to lose' - Inzaghi apologises after Sassuolo defeat

  Simone Inzaghi admits "it hurts to lose" following Inter's surprise 1-0 defeat by relegation-threatened Sassuolo.

  The newly crowned Scudetto winners suffered only their second loss of the season in Serie A, as Armand Lauriente's first-half goal was enough to give the 19th-place hosts victory at Mapei Stadium.

  Sassuolo, who boosted their survival hopes, subsequently completed the league double over the Nerazzurri, having also prevailed 2-1 at San Siro in September.

  Meanwhile, Inter were beaten by a team in the bottom two for the first time since November 2014, with Inzaghi urging his players not to be distracted by their title triumph.

  "We started sluggish and didn’t have the right approach to the game," he told Sky Sports Italia. "I'm sorry for the defeat, but credit must be given to Sassuolo for a performance of great effort and sacrifice.

  "It's right to enjoy [our Scudetto victory], but there are still three games to go and we have to focus. It hurts to lose, and it should hurt."

  After guiding Inter to their 20th Serie A crown, Inzaghi is hopeful he can keep the majority of his squad intact ahead of next season.

  However, the Nerazzurri boss did emphasise the club's need to strengthen before launching their Scudetto defence.

  "I already told the club that I want to go into next season with all the players I had this term, not losing a single one," he said. "Considering all the games we need to play and the length of the season, we do need a bigger squad."