Erik ten Hag has stressed that Manchester United cannot afford to throw away fourth place.
Manchester United’s ultimate objective in Erik ten Hag’s first season is to qualify for the Champions League. The manager has explained how ‘vital’ it is we finish in the top four – and he trusts his players to get the job done.
The manager had to spend Thursday night demanding a reaction after a 1-0 defeat to Brighton. United can’t afford to keep slipping up away from home and we’ve failed to beat any of the top nine teams whilst on the road this season. It’s an appalling record.
It will come as no surprise, however, that Ten Hag’s focus is on securing that Champions League spot.
“It is always vital that we have to be in the Champions League,” said Ten Hag, as quoted by The Mail. “It is a battle because many teams and clubs in the Premier League are competing for it and they have the power to fight for that as well. We want to be there and will do everything to get there.
“Manchester United, we need to be there in the Champions League. We want to be there because we want to challenge the best teams in the world so we do everything in our power to get that done. I count on my team. We have to do it again.”
Getting back in the Champions League will help Ten Hag build for next season because the best players won’t be put off by Europa League football.
This time last season there was a chance we could’ve ended up in the Europa Conference League. Imagine that.
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