Erik ten Hag fires Tottenham instruction to Man United players ahead of Porto clash
Erik ten Hag, the Manchester United manager facing criticism after a disappointing start to the season, has called for his team to channel their frustration into motivation following the 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford by Tottenham. With the pressure mounting, Ten Hag remains resolute, dismissing fears of dismissal ahead of a pivotal set of fixtures before the international break.
United are preparing for a challenging visit to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, shortly after their Europa League clash with Porto. "As always when we are not winning, we are very disappointed and we are also mad, mad with ourselves and especially when you lose a game like Sunday," Ten Hag expressed during his press conference on Wednesday evening.
The Dutchman highlighted the difficulties faced in the Spurs match, saying: "Also after all when you had to play such a long time with 10 players and after the red card is overturned, that gives frustration because such a long time to play with 10 is of course never in your advantage and had a real impact on the game but you have to deal with it." Despite the setbacks, Ten Hag is determined to use the anger constructively: "We are mad and from the madness we have to get motivation and go onto the next game."
In a recent interview before heading to Portugal, Ten Hag downplayed the poor run of form, insisting there's no cause "to panic about" while he concentrates on turning the season around. Ten Hag has been quick to remind everyone of the silverware United have secured under his leadership, citing the Carabao Cup win in his debut season and the crucial FA Cup victory last year.
He's also been vocal about the squad's ongoing transformation. Addressing the notion of transition, Ten Hag remarked: "Because of course, first season when I came in we had to replace six or seven older players, like (Juan) Mata, (Nemanja) Matic, (Paul) Pogba, (Jesse) Lingard."
He continued: "So, we started a process but also this summer we still had to replace some other players." The manager highlighted the injection of youth into the team, mentioning: "We replaced them with many young players, like (Joshua) Zirkzee and Leny Yoro."
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Ten Hag emphasised the need for these newcomers to adapt, saying: "They need time to get used to the standards of the Premier League, the standards of a club as United, especially, we have to fit them in our game model and in the standards of the league they are playing in." United are looking to reignite their campaign and Europa League aspirations after a disappointing 1-1 draw at home against Twente, which means they've only managed one win in their last nine European outings a narrow escape against Copenhagen thanks to a late penalty save from Andre Onana.
Their preparations for the upcoming match in Porto were hampered by fog-induced travel delays, setting them back two and a half hours. Despite the setback, United have arrived in Portugal with a strong 23-man squad, including Kobbie Mainoo, who is recovering from a recent hamstring scare sustained in the match against Spurs.
United's Harry Maguire was sidelined due to an injury but managed to make the trip to Porto, meanwhile, vital players such as former Chelsea ace Mason Mount, Yoro, Tyrell Malacia, and Luke Shaw were unable to join the travelling squad.
Ten Hag later explained: "(Mount) had a head injury and picked up a knock so they are the two reasons why he's not available for tomorrow," emphasizing the dual issues complicating Mount's availability.