Erik ten Hag is gearing up to be involved in the Manchester derby for the first time in his career, with the Dutchman aiming to make it five consecutive wins in the Premier League.
Ten Hag will face a familiar foe, having worked alongside Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich for two years. Going into the game, both sides are in good form but United are still heavy underdogs.
The Reds have a good record in this fixture over the last three years, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer losing just one of his three trips to the Etihad Stadium in the league.
Ten Hag will be hoping to replicate that and speaking ahead of the game, United’s new manager has insisted that the importance of this fixture is not lost on the players either.
🗣️ “They know how big of a game this is. 100% is not enough. You can be sure they will bring more.”
Erik ten Hag on his Manchester United teams approach to the Manchester derby. 💪 pic.twitter.com/GIzPqGbZsN
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 2, 2022
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“They know how big this game is,” Ten Hag told Football Daily, as seen above. “But what’s good from them is their approach, is for every game, to battle. To give everything. 100% is not enough, you can be sure that they will bring more on the pitch.
“Not only them but all of the players. We are aware of this game and of the importance of this game.”
Only one United manager has won their first away trip to Manchester City, with Solskjaer pulling off a surprising 2-1 win over Guardiola’s men in December 2019.
Ten Hag will now be hoping to match Solskjaer’s start in this fixture but it will take some effort from his players.