Written by James Ducker
Eric Ten Hag stated to Manchester United that they had lost sight the standards required for excellence, but that he would not spare any effort to get the club “on top” again.
Ten Hag admitted that he was “impatient” for success six months into his Old Trafford job. But he could not hide the magnitude of the challenge he faced.
Manchester United manager: “The first 5 months…I knew it was exciting, but also difficult. I feel Manchester United is far away from the standards we should be.”
“We’ve been working for the past five months on this process, and as you can see, it goes up and down. Sometimes, you have to accept defeats and bad performances in order to improve and learn from them.
“I think we are heading in the right direction but there is more to come. Carrington smells like football. Manchester United has something for everyone, no matter where they are located in the world.
“You know you are here at one of the biggest clubs in the world and we want to be the biggest. It is a big challenge, but I love it. It gives me energy and I want to give everything in my power to get us back to where we belong and this is on top of the world.”
Ten Hag demanded an immediate response to Sunday’s 3-1 defeat by Aston Villa. United will face Unai Emery on Thursday night in the Carabao Cup third-round at Old Trafford. Anthony and Jadon Sancho are both absent again.
“Sometimes you have a setback like on Sunday and we are definitely not happy with the performance. I feel responsible. When I see my team on Sunday, this is not Manchester United,” Ten Hag said in a question-and-answer session with fans.
“I know they are not bots but we still have to demand that they bring it in every game on the field, whenever possible. It must be a lot.
“I have a feeling we’re in the right direction and I’m impatient. I want to win all the league games and be straight, but I know it’s not possible.
“The process takes time, but when we are not there – where we should have been – then something is wrong. As a leader, I must set the standards.
“I believe I live every day to the highest standards and that is what I also demand of the people around me. I think this is the only way to get back there – where we should be.”
Ten Hag said he wants to reach the top 4 and win the cups this season but admitted that United face a tough battle to return to Champions League.
“We play in a lot of cups and I want to win trophies. We want to be in the top four. That should be the goal, to get there.” It will be difficult this season because from what I heard around me this is probably the strongest Premier League in years.
“There is a lot of competition between the bottom and the top, they are very close to each other but at the top I think you have seven or eight teams that have all invested a lot. There are not just one or two teams who have invested a lot. This includes us and clubs like Newcastle.
“They have invested a lot really. West Ham United is also a huge investment. Also many clubs have invested but we want to be in the top four, it is clear.”
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