Erik ten Hag wasn’t shy of showcasing his opinion after Man United’s FA Cup triumph
Man United manager Erik ten Hag wasn’t in the mood to back down when some subtle questions were asked of him after his side’s FA Cup final victory over arch-rivals Man City at Wembley Stadium. In his interview with ‘BBC SPORT’, the Dutch manager was asked about why the Red Devils didn’t play the whole season in the same way they played against City in the very said final.
Answering the inquiry by Alan Shearer, ten Hag pointed towards the fact that they didn’t have the full-strength squad available for most of his tenure at the club. “I’m now two years here and probably maybe we had three-four times we had the full squad on board”, Erik ten Hag skeptically inserted.
However, what caught the eyes of the football world was the Dutch manager’s statement towards the later end of his interview. When asked about where his young and talented midfielder Kobiee Mainoo could go from here after another good performance in such a final, the 54-year-old veteran was stern yet calculated in the way he presented his thoughts.
Erik ten Hag flawlessly stated – “I think we have to keep calm because you are very good here in England to push players and managers very high and then you hammer them when there are one or two bad performances. I think it should be more calm”. It can be said that it was the first time during his tenure in English football, one has seen the Dutch manager so emotionally charged up and putting his opinions across with quite an honest perception.
Erik ten Hag embarked that Man United was in a ‘mess’ before his arrival
Erik ten Hag wasn’t shy of admitting that the situation at Man United wasn’t up to the mark when he arrived at the club. The Dutch manager asserted – “When I came in, I can say it was a mess”. However, after saying that he was quick to jump on the fact that there still needs to be a lot of work done at the English club to get where they belong.
The FA Cup 2023-2024 stands out as Erik ten Hag’s second trophy with the Red Devils. He earlier guided the club to a Carabao Cup title in the 2022-2023 season of England’s domestic football. The 54-year-old manager continues to prove his critics wrong by making comebacks whenever put under severe pressure.
Several reports of ten Hag going to be sacked by United keep garnering traction in the media. However, if he stays there, his main job would still be to get the club back to where it was in the Premier League, that would be to compete for the Champions League places and maybe progress towards challenging for the title itself. It remains to be seen how things unravel for Erik ten Hag from now onwards.
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