Erik ten Hag conducted his usual pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of this weekend’s trip to Fulham.
Manchester United are in desperate need of three points following consecutive 3-0 losses against Manchester City and Newcastle United. The defeats have heightened the pressure on the United boss, with reports this week claiming the club are on the lookout for a potential replacement.
The Carabao Cup defeat on Wednesday was perhaps the Dutchman’s lowest point since his appointment as United boss, with the Magpies naming a starting XI that featured five full-backs and no striker. Yet, Eddie Howe’s men easily dispatched United at a near-empty Old Trafford by the full-time whistle.
Ten Hag insisted that he is a ‘fighter’ in the aftermath of the game, but also claimed last week that he cannot get his United team to play like his former side Ajax. He clarified those comments on Friday, insisting that due to the players on offer, United are playing with a more direct style.
Elsewhere, Ten Hag gave a fitness update on two defenders and was asked for his view on reports that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is ready to commit £245m to the club once his partial takeover is completed. There were also questions on whether Saturday's trip to Fulham is a 'must-win game'
Here’s the best bits from Ten Hag’s press conference…
!["[Raphael] Varane is ready to play. He will travel with the squad. Victor Lindelof has some illness have to see how he is tomorrow."](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2023/10/26/12/Victor%20Lindelof.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
1. Injury update
"[Raphael] Varane is ready to play. He will travel with the squad. Victor Lindelof has some illness have to see how he is tomorrow."
2. No fight in the team?
"That’s not right. Remember the fight we showed against Brentford, the comeback. If there was no fight or spirit or characters in the dressing room you couldn’t do this."
![I thought the explanation from my point of view was totally wrong. I can’t play like Ajax because I had different players so I came here with my philosophy based on possession but also to combine it with the DNA of Man United, with the players, with the competences and the characters of the players, that do you combine, we have seen what that was. We played very good football last season. This season the philosophy is not different. We want to go more direct, but the explanation for my direct thought is I want to go for long balls, no, I don’t want Andre Onana to go for long balls. I want to play out from the back. As we did and we tried it every game, also against City, but it an opponent is going in high press, it is a good option to go direct. But what I meant with directness and I explained it in the USA with you all, how we want to play. We want to press from different blocks and then go direct because we have the players like Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford and Antony and Bruno [Fernandes] and Scott McTominay who are very good at it and with the passing of Christian Eriksen, and then the full-backs joining in and that was my idea. I explained it very clear. "](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2023/11/02/18/GettyImages-1769485141.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
3. Can't play like Ajax?
I thought the explanation from my point of view was totally wrong. I can’t play like Ajax because I had different players so I came here with my philosophy based on possession but also to combine it with the DNA of Man United, with the players, with the competences and the characters of the players, that do you combine, we have seen what that was. We played very good football last season. This season the philosophy is not different. We want to go more direct, but the explanation for my direct thought is I want to go for long balls, no, I don’t want Andre Onana to go for long balls. I want to play out from the back. As we did and we tried it every game, also against City, but it an opponent is going in high press, it is a good option to go direct. But what I meant with directness and I explained it in the USA with you all, how we want to play. We want to press from different blocks and then go direct because we have the players like Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford and Antony and Bruno [Fernandes] and Scott McTominay who are very good at it and with the passing of Christian Eriksen, and then the full-backs joining in and that was my idea. I explained it very clear. "
4. Response from players
"They are positive. They want to put this right. We know the standards here and we have to match the standards every day. And we had two big setbacks but we will fightback. This dressing room is strong, the staff is strong and the manager is strong to put it right."