Ten Hag: 'Man Utd is not playing well, not because of the midfield'
This summer, Ten Hag recruited Mount for a fee of $ 76 million from Chelsea and combined the English international with Fernandes, Casemiro to form a new midfield trio of Man Utd. This "triad" played ineffectively in the opening two matches of the Premier League, beating Wolves 0-1 at home and losing 0-2 at Tottenham, and received much criticism.
Former midfielder Roy Keane likens Man Utd as "the new Tottenham", and does not believe that the old team can compete for the 2023-2024 Premier League title. Gary Neville commented that allowing Mount and Fernandes to play high, leaving the defensive task to Casemiro - who was also criticized for not being in the best shape, leaving Man Utd's defense indifferent.
In the press conference before the match against Nottingham Forest in the third round of the Premier League, when asked if the layout of the midfield trio caused problems for Man Utd, Ten Hag replied: "You have to analyze based on the situation of each match. And that assessment is not correct. The problem is up and down, and that's why Man Utd reveal a lot of space. I have no doubt about the ability of these three midfielders."
However, the Dutch coach admitted that Man Utd is far from the desired level and the whole team must continue to work hard to improve. "What Man Utd fans expect is to win. I am responsible for that, and I am giving all my efforts," emphasized Ten Hag.
This week, Man Utd announced Mount was injured from the match against Tottenham and will miss the end of the national team concentration period in September. Meanwhile, Luke Shaw has a muscle problem and is also absent for the next few matches. Ten Hag said there is no new information, and revealed Shaw will be out for longer than Mount.
The 53-year-old coach later revealed that rookie $94 million Rasmus Hojlund attended his first full training session with Man Utd on August 25. The Danish striker was injured while playing for Atalanta and missed the opening two matches of the Premier League. However, Ten Hag said Hojlund could not compete today and expects his students to get better from next week.
In addition, Man Utd's injury list also includes Harry Maguire, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo and Tyrell Malacia. "It's a normal situation in top football," Ten Hag said. "Injuries are always disappointing, but we have to deal with them as a team."
On August 21, after four months of internal investigation, Man Utd announced it was parting ways with Mason Greenwood on the basis of consensus, because of concerns about a backlash from staff, fans, public opinion and politicians in the UK. The 21-year-old striker insisted he did not do what he was accused of, but accepted the club's verdict.
Ten Hag declined to comment on the incident, wanting to focus on the players in the Man Utd squad and the match against Nottingham Forest.
