Man United boss Ten Hag insists he has backing of club،
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said he still had the club's support despite being eliminated from Europe, and added that he was “not worried” about a heavy defeat against Liverpool could increase the pressure on his team. job.
United travel to Anfield on the back of a run of one win in their last five games, including a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday which ended their interest in this season's Champions League.
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Premier League leaders Liverpool await Sunday but Ten Hag insists he has no fears another defeat could further damage their position.
“It doesn’t worry me,” Ten Hag said at a news conference Friday. “I want to win and move the team in the right direction.
“I feel [the support of the club] and they say it but actually it's good and it's OK, but I'm focused on the process, for this team to play better, for the individuals to be better and that's my concern.”
United have not won at Anfield since January 2016, when Louis van Gaal was manager and Morgan Schneiderlin and Matteo Darmian started the game.
Ten Hag's side were beaten 7-0 there last season and this time the Dutch coach will have to choose a team without captain Bruno Fernandes, who was suspended, and Harry Maguire, who suffered a groin injury against Bayern.
Luke Shaw is available after normal training on Friday while Marcus Rashford is fit again after illness.
“I think everyone is very motivated when we go to Anfield,” Ten Hag said.
“It's a great place to go. We know it's going to be difficult, but that's what every top footballer wants: the challenge. Last year. [the 7-0] we remember it, but we must also take advantage of it and learn from it. »
Despite a dismal start to the season which has seen United lose more games (12) than they have won (11), Ten Hag believes the future is bright if they can find a way out of their bad form.
“The future of Man United is very good,” he said. “You can see how many good players we have in the team, how many good young players who have very high potential to play at the highest level in the world.
“But we need to develop that. I'm sure when the injuries come back we will perform better.”
