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Erik ten Hag explains why Manchester United’s poor start did not frighten him.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has claimed that despite a rocky start at Old Trafford, he never questioned the team’s capacity to triumph.
United were taunted by rivals and some fans were even calling for Ten Hag to be sacked after losing his first two games in charge – a 2-1 loss at home to Brighton before the infamous 4-0 thumping at the hands of Brentford.
During that period, United has only suffered three Premier League losses, and they just won their first trophy in six years by defeating Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.
For Ten Hag, it’s something he always felt was capable even after the slow start.
“I know from experience from previous jobs it takes time before you get into a way of playing. before you get into the rules and the principles, you get routines into a team and, time is not always going with the right results,” Ten Hag told the media.
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“So when the right results weren’t there at the start of the season. I didn’t panic because I knew it was part of the process. You find out, you learn a lot in those weeks, when you lose it’s not nice, you hate to lose.
“But you also get some good lessons and you get a view of what are the opportunities, what are the deficits and you can work on that and the way you play.”
A few United players have commended Ten Hag’s attitude to those early defeats, with midfielder Bruno Fernandes most recently highlighting how the Dutchman’s no-nonsense strategy rapidly won the team’s respect.
The FA Cup fifth-round match against West Ham is the next match for the Carabao Cup champions before they start their Premier League season with a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool on Sunday.