Manager Erik ten Hag of Manchester United thinks his squad can turn around a terrible season against Manchester City in tomorrow’s FA Cup final. There is a lot of talk that this match could mark the manager’s farewell to the team.
Ten Hag told reporters Wednesday that “trophies are everything.” “We have a great chance to take home a trophy.
“We have the chance to win two in two years, but there haven’t been as many trophies at the club in the last ten years,” he continued, alluding to the League Cup triumph from the previous year.
When questioned whether tomorrow might be his last game as United’s manager, the Dutchman chose not to respond.
“I have nothing to say; I just concentrate on my work, which is to win the game on Saturday. After that, we will continue working on the project,” he remarked. “I came here in search of awards.” I have the chance to do this on Saturday, and as a team, we merited this chance.
“You review it after each season to determine where you are in the project and what might need to change.”
The hashtag “TenHagIn” was trending on social media site X yesterday, suggesting that Ten Hag has the backing of at least a sizable portion of his fan base.
United has won the FA Cup 12 times, but in their last five final appearances, they have only triumphed once, 2-1 over Crystal Palace in extra time in 2016. In the Wembley final last year, they were defeated 2-1 by City.
He noted that Ten Hag’s team often saves their best for the toughest opponents, as evidenced by their exciting 4-3 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals in March.
“We are there at the FA Cup final, which is a huge event. We are there, even in a season that does not go our way, the Dutch manager remarked.
“We are aware of our opportunity. Though it won’t be simple, we must attempt it. It is imperative that we accept it. We know that we play our best football against strong opponents, and on Saturday we must do the same.
This season, City has defeated United in both of their Premier League meetings—3-0 at Old Trafford and 3-1 at the Etihad.
We were, in my opinion, quite competitive up to the Old Trafford VAR ruling. A difficult choice, I believed,” Ten Hag remarked. “We played a very strong 70 minutes at the Etihad, and we were without the bench. That is quite a distinction. We are going to have a bench on Saturday. Our side is going to be considerably stronger.
Ten Hag stated that Harry Maguire, the defender who sustained a muscle injury earlier this month, “didn’t heal as expected” and won’t play on Saturday.
Marcus Rashford has battled this season, but he is desperate to return to his best form, the manager continued. Rashford was not included in the interim England team that manager Gareth Southgate unveiled earlier this week for the forthcoming European Championship in Germany.
Ten Hag remarked, “Those are the ups and downs of your career.” “In training, I’ve observed that a setback can serve as motivation.” He has a lot of motivation. Talk quickly and intelligently. He has a long career, so I’m confident he will overcome this and achieve more. Reuters