Ten Hag losing patience after the pre-season defeat
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 16.07.24. | 16:26
The Dutchman slammed the team after an unexpected friendly-match loss
Manchester United opted to keep Erik ten Hag on the bench and give him one more chance while being very active in the current transfer window, promptly looking for reinforcements. Joshua Zirkzee was the first to join, and several players like Matthijs De Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite are on the radar. All in all, everything seems fine except for the situation on the pitch.
😨🇳🇴 Manchester United suffered a 1-0 DEFEAT against Rosenborg in their first friendly match. pic.twitter.com/eJYJS7jtlt
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) July 15, 2024
The Red Devils have played their first pre-season match in Norway against the domestic side Rosenborg and surprisingly lost 1-0, conceding a goal in the dying minutes. Given that the break between the seasons is still on, the transfer window is open, and the international competitions have just finished, United's squad was full of youngsters.
However, several experienced first-team players - Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jonny Evans, Casemiro, Mason Mount, and Marcus Rashford - were still in the starting lineup, and that's precisely why most people were stunned after the defeat. Ten Hag was justifiably disgruntled, even a little angry with his team.
"The result is not secondary and of course we play pre-season but at Man United there is a standard you win games, definitely not lose games. If you can't win games, don't lose like we did in the end, the last second of the game. Of course the performance is more important and the performance was below standard," said the Dutchman speaking to MUTV.
🚨 Erik ten Hag post match quotes.
— 𝗧𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗴’𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘀 ✍🏼🇳🇱 (@TenHagBall_) July 15, 2024
“The result is not secondary.”
“Our performance as a team is by far not good enough.”
“This is not the standard of top football.”
“We are Man Utd, teams from Man Utd should perform better.”😖🔴 pic.twitter.com/fv2hQDczuY
Although aware of his team's low fitness level, ten Hag reminded that giants like United cannot tolerate poor performances.
"This is not the standard for top football. Top football you have to achieve much higher standards and it starts with every individual making sure you're fit. I know you can't be match fit in this moment and you need these games. I know we play against an opponent in their league who have a much higher fitness level but still. We are Man United and players from Man United, a team from Man United, should perform much better," concluded the tactician.
