‘Everyone forgets, even the players who were in the team’
Erik ten Hag has come out swinging and fought off criticism towards his Manchester United side.
The Dutchman is under even more pressure after the Red Devils dropped points yet again, this time to Burnley
Antony’s first Premier League goal this season looked like it would be enough until Casemiro’s poor defensive header caused Andre Onana to erratically rush out and give away a penalty, which Zeki Admouni fired home with just three minutes remaining.
Ten Hag responds to boos
United fans voiced their anger multiple times throughout the game, notably when Kobbie Mainoo was replaced while the game was still goalless.
“Fans need patience. I understand they want to see the skills of these players but the league gets more intense year by year and the youngsters need to adjust. That takes time,” he said.
Ten Hag then even hit back at former United TV pundits like Rio Ferdinand, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, who have all questioned the club’s drop in standards since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure.
He added: “People forget that the Man United team of 2004-05, they also didn’t play that great football (while Ferguson was building a new team around Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo). They were building and it took time but everyone forgets, even the players who were in the team.”
Ten Hag claims United are exciting to watch
Despite the constant criticisms over his style of play, Ten Hag believes that there aren’t many sides more entertaining to watch than United.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “We are one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams in the league at this moment.
“We are creating loads of chances by playing good football. Yes, we concede also. We have to learn from it because it was unnecessary to lose the control.”
The Red Devils are sixth in the table but are way off the mark when it comes to trying to secure Champions League qualification and are the underdogs for the FA Cup final against neighbours Manchester City on May 25.
Related links:
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe prepares to axe almost half of Man United squad this summer
- Jose Mourinho claims Man United still haven’t sold players he wanted to get rid of
- Man United have a six-man shortlist for Erik ten Hag replacement
