Erik ten Hag left a lasting impression on a former Manchester United player who now plays in League One after one brutal interaction with the club’s then-manager
A former Manchester United goalkeeper has revealed the harsh reality of his encounter with Erik ten Hag when he plucked up the courage to visit the manager’s office to seek contract talks. Nathan Bishop, 26, joined United from Southend United in January 2020 for an undisclosed sum, signing a two-and-a-half-year deal and immediately linking up with the club’s under 21s.
The London-born shot-stopper spent a campaign on loan at Mansfield Town and secured a contract extension at the Red Devils before departing in 2023. Bishop left Old Trafford having never featured for the first team.
He was named in the matchday squad on seven occasions and played merely 12 matches for the U21s, shipping 21 goals. Now, Bishop has revealed details of one particular exchange that remains vivid from his time at United – when he approached Ten Hag’s office to discuss a new deal.
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Speaking on The One Glove’s Beyond The Box podcast, he said: “I built this scenario up. I needed to go up to Erik and speak about a new contract or the contract that had been offered.
“I wanted to go and play, leave and experience new things, maybe not sign a contract. I’d sat on this conversation in my mind for a long time. I’d gone over it and over it and over it and over it.
“I didn’t think that it was right that I deserved to go and knock on his door. I thought, ‘Who are you to go and knock on his door?’
“You’re not playing, you’re just a joey, you’re a training goalie, shut your mouth, sign the contract and f*** off. That’s what I believed. And in my mind, when you believe something, you believe it, don’t you? You believe it’s true.
“So I was like, I’m not gonna go see him, and then, I built it up, I have to go and see him. I knock on his massive door; his door is huge. He opens it, ‘not today’, and shuts the door. I just stood outside the door, this big beam of wood, like ‘What the f*** do I do now?'”
Bishop departed United and put pen to paper with Sunderland in August 2023. However, he found opportunities limited at the Stadium of Light.
The goalkeeper featured merely twice during his debut campaign before temporary spells at Wycombe Wanderers and Cambridge United.
He moved to newly-promoted League One outfit Wimbledon in July and has subsequently been named in the starting eleven for each of their opening 12 third-tier fixtures, letting in just 13 goals whilst recording three shutouts.
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
