Erik ten Hag will certainly be expecting to oversee a more upbeat second half of the campaign in comparison to the first.
Manchester United travel to take on West Ham United tomorrow afternoon in hopes of scoring their first goal in three matches (all competitions).
Having already exited the Carabao Cup and Europe, United’s run from December to May will be significantly quieter than some of their top-four rivals, which could well bode in Ten Hag’s favour as he looks to claim a Champions League spot for a second consecutive season.
Currently, they are six points adrift of Manchester City in fourth, with the Reds sitting seventh-placed heading into Saturday’s festive fixture.
Ten Hag on returning Reds
The debilitating injury crisis at Old Trafford has undoubtedly played its part in the side’s faltering form, and Ten Hag has his fingers crossed that it’ll draw to a close when absentees return in the new year.
Speaking in Friday’s pre-match press conference, he explained (via ManUtd.com): “So, the current squad, I’m happy. As we get our players back, I’m sure we have a good squad. I think a lot of our [form], the way it went in the first half of the season, this was a reason behind [it] because many players were not available and I’m sure when all the players are available, onboard… it looks like Casemiro will be back, [Lisandro] Martinez will be back, Mason Mount will be back. We will be much stronger after the winter.”
