Ten Hag ready to prove Man Utd´s strength

Erik ten Hag is hopeful that the Manchester United board will continue to stick with him if the club goes through difficult moments next season.

The Red Devils boss signed a contract extension last month, shortly after rife speculation that he was set to be fired after the FA Cup final, no matter the result.

United beat Manchester City to win the trophy on the back of their worst-ever finish of eighth in the Premier League.

With a new leadership group in charge, Ten Hag is confident that the team can prove they are competitors when the new season gets underway.

“I feel that we built something and that the people who are around me are in the same boat,” Ten Hag said in an extended interview in their pre-season tour in Los Angeles.

“But of course, it’s always a proven point when the case is there – but what I hope is that we avoid this [a dip].”

“I feel positive, and I feel very aligned. They [the new owners] are here, we are building those relationships and, as I said, we have to prove this point during the season and the next coming years: how strong we are.”

United have already made two signings this transfer window, bringing in Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and Leny Yoro from Lille, though the defender is set to be out for three minutes after suffering a foot injury against Arsenal in a pre-season friendly.

RASHFORD #MUFC

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 1, 2024

Rasmus Hojlund is also set to be out for six weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in the same game, while Marcus Rashford and Antony were forced off against Real Betis on Thursday.

While Ten Hag did not say the extent of the two injuries suffered, he admitted he was cautious about rushing the players back into action.

“We have to wait,” Ten Hag said in a news conference. “Of course, we don’t take risks in the last game of the tour going into the season next week already.

“We go into an important game, and we are still 24 hours after a game. The final assessment we have to make, and we will see if they are ready for the game against Liverpool on Saturday.”

After a prolific first season under Ten Hag that saw Rashford score 30 goals for the Red Devils in all competitions, he netted just eight last campaign.

Despite the dip in form, the Dutchman has backed Rashford to regain his spark.

“He has to prove his point,” the 54-year-old said. “We will set the conditions [give him all the support] and [then] he is very capable of doing this.

“The season before he scored 30 goals, so when he is in the right vibe, then he has such a high potential. And when he is really in that mood, he [can] again score 30 or even more goals.”