The Erik ten Hag era is now in full swing at Manchester United, with the Dutchman intent on quickly making his mark on the Old Trafford dressing room. As part of that process, it was revealed on Monday that he has banned mobile phones from being used in the club canteen.
Per a report from The Mirror, Ten Hag has ordered his squad to avoid bringing their devices to team meals "in order to foster a spirit of togetherness" within the group.
While we can't imagine this has gone down overly well with the United squad, phones are far from the only items banned by team bosses over the years.
In the modern era, players are expected to live the lifestyle of top professional athletes. It should come as no surprise that consumption of items such as chocolate, sweets, crisps, takeaways and alcohol aren't exactly encouraged - and, indeed, each have been outlawed by a number of top-flight managers.
Those bans - as tough as we're sure they are to deal with for some players - at least make some sort of logical sense.
In other instances, though, bosses have banished some completely bizarre items from their clubs.
Here are nine of the craziest examples. We still can't figure out the motivation behind a few of these.
Jose Mourinho banned Pokemon Go at Man Utd
Jose was apparently fine with his players using their phones at Old Trafford but had an issue with how much time certain members of his squad were spending on the Pokemon Go app trying to capture characters from the remade 90s sensation.
So concerned was the Portuguese boss about the impact of the game on his team's performance that, in July 2016, he ordered his men to stay away from the game for at least 48 hours before a matchday.
"He’s told the lads of his concerns about Pokémon", revealed a club source, per 90min.com
“He says for 48 hours before a match he wants the guys to leave it alone and concentrate on the tactics he and his staff have been working on in the days before.”
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 23: Jose Mourinho manager of Manchester United speaks during a Manchester United press conference on the eve of their UEFA Europa League match against Feyenoord at Aon Training Complex on November 23, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola banned sports cars from the Barcelona training ground
Sports cars and top-tier footballers go hand-in-hand. Once a player makes it to the big time, it's not uncommon for one of the first purchases to be a lavish vehicle in which they can travel in style.
Seemingly fed up with player egos during his time as Barcelona boss, Pep slapped a ban on stars driving to training in luxury motors.
Guardiola wanted life at the club to revolve around football, rather than money.
Most took it in their stride, except (shock horror) Zlatan Ibrahimovic!
"I thought this was ridiculous," raged the outspoken Swede, per Goal. "It was no one's business what car I drive - so in April, before a match with Almeria, I drove my Ferrari Enzo to work. It caused a scene."
BARCELONA, SPAIN - MARCH 24: Zlatan Ibrahimovic of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring during the La Liga match between Barcelona and Osasuna at the Camp Nou Stadium on March 24, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images)
Former Wales manager Josh Toshack banned gravy from team meals
We understand the reasons why coaches might not what their players to tuck into a pizza or a kebab before a big match, but we struggle to see the problem with a splash of gravy!
Toshack certainly wasn't a fan, though, and after taking the Welsh job for a second time in 2004, he removed it from the squad's dining room.
Writing in his 2014 autobiography, midfielder Robbie Savage admitted he was far from happy about the situation - and quickly set about protesting.
"We sat down at this empty table, and it was like being in school. The waitress came in to take our order. Plain chicken, no sauce. Or spaghetti bolognese. Fried bananas or rice and broccoli.
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"I wanted chicken with gravy, but we weren’t allowed. I looked down at this plate of dry chicken, one veg, no gravy, fried bananas – and then I followed the habit of a lifetime and acted out of instinct. Up went the white tablecloth as I pushed back my chair and crawled under the table.
"The lads were laughing but trying not to let Toshack see, and I started my hunt. 'Where’s the veg?' I called out. 'Maybe there are some sauces under here.' I could see Toshack’s face, and he wasn’t amused.
"'Is there a problem?' he almost snarled. 'My chicken’s dry, and there’s no gravy or sauces. 'Ah,' he said.
"'You should have used your initiative and put the bolognese sauce on your chicken.' I could not believe I was having this conversation."
Savage was dropped from Toshack's squad shortly afterwards.
SWANSEA, WALES - APRIL 11: Media pundit Robbie Savage looks on before the Barclays Premier League match between Swansea City and Everton at Liberty Stadium on April 11, 2015 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Jackie McNamara banned toast at Dundee United
Not the humble piece of toast, surely?
One of McNamara's first changes after arriving at Tannadice in 2013 was to get rid of the toasters at the ground. A strange choice, but each to their own.
Keen to promote healthy eating to his squad, McNamara was publicly backed up by his chairman, Stephen Thompson.
"Jackie is changing the players’ lifestyles and that’s something which appeals to me," said Thompson at the time, per Sportskeeda.
“So instead of toast for their breakfast, it’s now porridge and Weetabix."
Unfortunately, we've not been able to confirm what McNamara's policy on traditional sandwiches was!
BARNET, ENGLAND - JULY 22: Jackie McNamara, the Dundee United manager shouts instructions during the pre season friendly match between Queens Park Rangers and Dundee United at The Hive on July 22, 2015 in Barnet, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Giovanni Trapattoni banned mushrooms while Republic of Ireland boss
The last of a strange trio of banned foodstuffs, veteran Italian manager Trapattoni was reportedly "stunned into silence for several seconds" when he witnessed the amount of mushrooms his Irish squad were eating in the build-up to matches.
Per the Irish times, Trapattoni soon instructed his players to eliminate the vegetable from their diets due to concerns over what overconsumption might do to their bodies.
Trappatoni left the role in 2013, when presumably the Irish squad was free to enjoy the occasional mushroom now and then.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 28: Giovanni Trapattoni the Republic of Ireland coach talks to the media during a press conference ahead of their international friendly against England at Wembley Stadium on May 28, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Neil Lennon banned beanie hats at Bolton
On a cold Lancashire morning, it's completely understandable that Lennon's Bolton players were keen to wrap up warm. However, if any of the squad were donning a beanie hat on their way into training, they knew to remove it before entering the club grounds.
Lennon, a battle-hardened midfielder in his own playing days, forbade his players from training in headwear, declaring: "I don't want players training in hats because you don't play football in hats".
"If they want to get warm, they should run around," he insisted, per The Express.
Amusingly, a quick Google search throws up numerous images of Lennon himself taking training in either a beanie hat or a hoodie!
BOLTON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 30: Neil Lennon, manager of Bolton Wanderers looks on during The Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United at Macron Stadium on January 30, 2016 in Bolton, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
Sir Alex Ferguson banned Man Utd's youth players from wearing coloured boots
We're back, once again, at Old Trafford - where Sir Alex was unmistakably the man in charge between 1986 and 2013.
The legendary Scotsman was a traditionalist at heart and - in 2010 - took a stand against the growing trend for stars to wear brightly coloured boots onto the pitch.
Ferguson knew the horse had already bolted when it came to United's first-team players, not wishing to get into a spat with the club's big names over their choice of footwear.
That didn't stop Sir Alex from bringing in a policy for United's youth players, banning them from wearing anything other than black boots while on official club duty.
Red Devils' defender John O' Shea revealed Ferguson's orders in an interview at the time with The Guardian.
"The restrictions are on the youth team. They are told they have to stick to wearing black. Once in the reserve or first-team squad there are no restrictions, but if you are wearing flashy colours and don't play too well you're likely to get singled out."
BLACKBURN, ENGLAND - APRIL 11: Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United looks on during the Barclays Premier League Match between Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United at Ewood Park on April 11, 2010 in Blackburn, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Paolo Di Canio once banned ice at Sunderland
It would probably be easier to list the things fiery Italian Di Canio didn't have an issue with during his time at the Stadium of Light.
Like Ten Hag, he wasn't a fan of mobile phones. However, he also restricted access to coffee, ketchup, mayonnaise and fizzy drinks. Singing apparently wasn't his favourite pastime, either.
His most bizarre banishment, though, was that of ice, which he claimed had led to players he knew missing matches in the past.
"Gone are the days of a player coming in and boasting about drinking seven beers the night before," he declared in August 2013, per The Metro.
"Now they arrive an hour early for training, and we have lectures about why we can’t have everyday things like mayonnaise, ketchup and ice.
"They can cause chemical problems to the liver, to the stomach. If you have ice with coke you can have indigestion.
"I know players who’ve had ice with their coke the night before a game and then couldn’t play."
We bet the Black Cats' players of the time couldn't wait to get to training in the morning!
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - APRIL 29: Paolo Di Canio the Sunderland manager shouts instructions from the touchline during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Sunderland at Villa Park on April 29, 2013 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Sunderland once had to ban one of their players from travelling to space
England playmaker Jack Grealish attracted plenty of attention for his high-profile jaunts to Ibiza and Las Vegas earlier this summer. That's nothing compared to the potential plans of former Sunderland midfielder Stefan Schwarz when he arrived in the North East in 1999.
With his spot apparently reserved on one of first commercial passenger flights to space in 2002, club boss Peter Reid moved swiftly to let the Swede know that Sunderland weren't going to allow him to make the trip.
"One of Schwarz’s advisers has got one of the places on the commercial flights and we were worried that he may wish to take Stefan along with him. So we thought we’d better get things tied up now rather than at the time of the flight," said then Sunderland chief executive John Flicking, per BBC Sport.
The situation led to fans dubbing Schwarz 'the spaceman', although, 20 years on, he hasn't made the trip yet.
21 Jan 2001: Stefan Schwarz of Sunderland blocks Robbie Blake of Bradford City during the FA Carling Premiership match played at the Stadium of Light, in Sunderland, England. The match ended in a 0-0 draw. \ Mandatory Credit: Tom Shaw /Allsport
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