I’ve seen many fans and pundits make this claim. Do you think Manchester United players aren’t playing as well as they can in hope to get Ten Hag sacked. I’ve seen this argument used against Rashford as people since he’s got his new contract he’s just content to get his money and play as well.
Though Hoijund has claimed the players all back Ten Hag still https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/nov/09/erik-ten-hag-manchester-united-squad-backing-rasmus-hojlund
Liverpool are built on a cycle and have peaked physically and mentally and had the downwards swing and are now rebuilding and preparing to peak again. You can’t sustain that physical and mental performance without the deepest of squads. I think a large part of the problem at UTD is that they have never even had a full cycle, they are constantly in turmoil and without overall structure or plan due to issues with how the club at large is set up.