Ruthless Reds delight Ten Hag

Tuesday 17 September 2024 23:08

Erik ten Hag hailed the ruthless nature of his Manchester United players in front of goal as the Reds ran riot against Barnsley at Old Trafford.

United were 7-0 winners on Tuesday night as doubles from Marcus Rashford, Christian Eriksen and Alejandro Garnacho, as well as a penalty from Antony, sealed a convincing success which eased us into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

The manager was delighted with the efforts of his much-changed team, who recorded the Dutchman’s biggest victory as Reds boss to date.

Watch Ten Hag’s post-match interview with MUTV and read what he had to say to Sky Sports below…

Ten Hag: I enjoyed that performance! Video

Erik ten Hag analyses the displays of our three scorers, plus full debutant Manuel Ugarte, after United 7 Barnsley 0…

WE PLAYED WITH A LOT OF SPEED

“First of all, it was a difficult start but, once we found the shape, it’s not so weird because it’s the first time this team is playing together. But once we found the shape and the patterns, we scored some great goals, starting with [Marcus] Rashford which was a brilliant goal but I’d also say some other goals were really good. We played with a lot of speed and we were very ruthless in front of the goal.”

FINDING OUR SHAPE WAS KEY

“The key was finding the shape and, of course, the right attitude. We were 100 per cent concentrated and we certainly played very good. I think it was enjoyable to watch and also the fans they liked it and appreciated it. You could feel again the good bond between the team and the fans and we gave the fans some nice goals.”

CONFIDENCE IN RASHFORD

“In my first season, also he had this vibe and this good mood. When I see Marcus Rashford, I’m composed and I’m confident that he will score. I think last season was, for everyone, difficult but, in the end, we were able to win a trophy last season, you can’t forget this. But by the end, we found our targets, we hit the targets we wanted to get and this is what we aim for this season as well. We want to progress and be better, we are very ambitious, we want to go forward as a team. Also individual players, Marcus Rashford wants to score goals and that is what I saw. But not only Marcus Rashford, it’s the whole team and they are really hungry looking for goals.”

TEAM CAN HELP FORWARDS SCORE GOALS

“First of all, it’s most important that we defend well as a team and when we have that right aggressive attitude, then I know that those players will score goals. When we get them in the right spaces, they are very difficult to defend. They are so quick, they are so energetic, they are electric, they can be direct. First of all, when the team cohesion is good, they will score goals.”

PLEASED WITH UGARTE’S FIRST START

“I think he was good. Also for him, in the first minutes, you have to find your position and, as a team, you have to find the right shape. Once we got it, then you see his level and he can really strengthen the squad and the team.”

WHAT I WILL TAKE FROM TONIGHT

“That when we have the right shape, we can find the spaces where we can play. Then we are really compact, we can press as a team towards the ball and then I think it’s difficult for every team to play against us, so we are hard to beat and that’s the way we should act.”

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