Manchester Utd manager says pressure on team still on ahead of crucial Europa League match away to Fenerbache.
Manchester Utd manager Erik ten Hag believes his side is still under pressure as they prepare for a crucial run of games.
The Red Devils emerged victors in the Premier League with a come-from-behind victory at home against Brentford on Saturday. Goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund eased the mounting pressure on the Dutchman that had been intensifying for weeks.
But ten Hag believes he has not seen the last of it just yet.
United face Fenerbahce in a reunion with former manager Jose Mourinho in the Europa League. And just like in the league, the Red Devils have begun the tournament rather underwhelmingly. Two draws against Twente and Porto mean that this game has already gained must-win status for the 2016-17 winners.
Ten Hag acknowledged that both will not be judged by what they did in the past.
“Mourinho and I won a lot of trophies in the last years but you have to prove yourself every year and if you don’t you have criticism, we know that,” he said. “When you don’t win games the criticism is coming. We [United] are on the right path and are convinced we will achieve what our targets are.”
Asked whether his side are contenders to win this season’s competition, he replied: “United won domestic cups after [Mourinho] left but not in Europe. We have two points and we know what we have to do – we have to win games.”
The manager once again faces a personnel problem ahead of the team’s flight to Turkey. United currently have 10 players unavailable for this trip. Club captain Bruno Fernandes misses through suspension. Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia still remain long-term absentees. And while Lenny Yoro has begun training, he is still some way off to be fit for first-team football.
Despite the injury list, ten Hag believes that the side possesses enough quality to get a positive result.
“It’s complicated but it’s never easy,” the manager said. “We have to deal with it and we will deal with it as a team. We have many games in a short time and we will deal with it the best way possible.
“The team has made progress and I think we made a good step [against Brentford] but we have to follow it up [against Fenerbahce] and again on Sunday [against West Ham]. The players like to play football rather than training and we have so many games coming up. As long as we have enough players available then we don’t have to take any risks and at this moment we are still OK.”