Man United Manager Erik ten Hag Asked INEOS to Inculcate More Squad Depth into the Club
Erik ten Hag believes lack of depth is hampering the squad reconstruction at Man United
The manager of Man United Erik ten Hag had a up and down ride at the Premier League club so far since taking over the reign. The Dutch manager has had his fair share of critics in the meantime but he has somehow managed to hang on at his managerial position courtesy of a belief among the club’s owners that the team is rebuilding and the 54-year-old must be given adequate time to work his ideas out.
As quoted by Football expert ‘Fabrizio Romano’ on his official ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) Erik Ten Hag has admitted to having asked the Red Devils’ new stake owners INEOS to enhance the English club’s squad depth so that he can rebuild and ultimately churn out better on-field performances. The United manager reportedly stated –
“I’ve asked INEOS for more depth, yes. That is one of the issues in constructing the squad that we have to improve, to do things better, and construct a squad we have more depth in”. He further asserted – “The most important thing is to get the returning players back”.
From the words of the veteran manager, an insight into his plans for the team’s future can be envisaged. However, as per reports by many English media outlets, the Dutch manager’s own future at the Premier League club is up in the air as of now with several reputed managers being linked to the Man United job in recent times. The Red Devils currently sit in the eighth spot in the league table with 54 points, recently overtaken by Chelsea on goal difference.
Erik ten Hag reflects on Man United’s injury issues
Man United have succumbed to the latest first-team injuries in the form of Scott MacTominay and Harry Maguire. Their left-back Luke Shaw also hasn’t been able to start a decent chunk of their games this season. The injury list keeps growing for the Red Devils as other players like Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, and Johnny Evans are also sidelined. As quoted by Fabrizio Romano, ten Hag stated –
“For over 10 years I am managing. I never had so many injury issues”. Pointing down on specific positions in the field the 54-year-old opined – “Now in some positions, we don’t have choices. In the left-back position, Shaw has had only 15 starts this season and Tyrell Malacia has zero starts, and is not even available”.
From his statement, a sense of frustration can be depicted. However, it can be said that the Red Devils were knocked out of any sort of European competition a while back and one can only imagine how the Dutch manager would have dealt with things if they were playing twice a week consistently till this part of the season.
Also Read: