Erik ten Hag Says Manchester United Needs Time After 3-0 Defeat to Liverpool
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said he is "not Harry Potter" and cannot perform magic after his team lost 3-0 to Liverpool at Old Trafford. However, he still believes his team can win a trophy this season.
Liverpool scored twice in the first half with Luis Diaz getting both goals. Mohamed Salah added a third goal early in the second half. United were lucky not to lose by an even bigger score, as they were beaten 5-0 in the same match in 2021.
It was a tough day for Ten Hag because he started with six of his own signings. One of his new players, £50.5 million Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte, was shown to the fans before the game but did not play because he was not yet registered to play. Ugarte still needs to build his fitness and get used to the team.
United are now 14th in the Premier League table with just three points from their first three games. Despite this, Ten Hag did not accept the negative view of the result. He said that people should not expect him to do magic like Harry Potter.
“For three players, it was their first game of the season," he said. "Ugarte has not played yet and needs to get fit. It will take a few weeks, maybe even a month, for many players to get up to speed."
Ten Hag also talked about striker Joshua Zirkzee, who had a mixed game. He missed two good chances, one wide and the other saved by Liverpool's goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Defender Matthijs de Ligt also struggled alongside Lisandro Martinez, and young midfielder Kobbie Mainoo found it hard against Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch, who played well.
After the game, Ten Hag had a disagreement with a journalist who suggested that United keep making the same mistakes. Ten Hag replied that he has a different view because they have still managed to win trophies and beat strong teams.
"I don’t want to talk about positives today," he said. "This loss hurts us and our fans. It’s just the third game of the season. We have to build a new team. We will be okay, but we need to get better. I am confident we have a good chance to win a trophy by the end of the season."
Veteran midfielder Casemiro was blamed for the first two Liverpool goals. He lost the ball deep in United’s half for the first goal and was pushed off the ball too easily for the second. Ten Hag replaced him with 20-year-old Toby Collyer at half-time to try to change the game.
A video on social media suggested Casemiro left Old Trafford early, but Ten Hag denied it. "He didn’t leave the stadium at half-time," the manager said. "I spoke to him in the dressing room after the game."
Ten Hag explained that he substituted Casemiro because United needed to take risks to come back from being 2-0 down. He also added, "Casemiro has won everything in his career. I am sure he will continue to help our team."
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