Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has discussed this weekend’s opponents ahead of a crucial Premier League match away at Aston Villa.
When asked if it’s a must win game for United, Ten Hag told reporters (as per Manchester Evening News): “I said to the team from the start of January every game is now a final. That was also our approach to West Ham, this is a final, we have to take this challenge and see it as a final. That will be every day now from on.”
Villa Park has looked a particularly difficult ground to visit this season – well, up until recently.
In the past two weeks, Newcastle and Chelsea came away with 3-1 wins.
We must give Villa credit since they’ve shown better form than us this season. They’re fourth in the league, five points behind current leaders Liverpool.
United cannot afford to lose because that will put Villa a huge 11 points clear of us in the table.
The Reds have won four and drawn one of their last five games, scoring 11 goals in their last three outings, but the latest Lisandro Martinez injury blow comes at a time momentum has been building in the dressing room.
The manager also urged his players to play at their maximum levels while waxing lyrical about the job Unai Emery has done at Villa.
Ten Hag added: “I think it is very good how he developed his team and how they want to play, in and out of position. The players know what they have to do and cooperate with each other. They are a real team with weapons in their team, we have to play our maximum levels.”
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