Erik ten Hag 'impatient' as Manchester United manager names key problem

Evening Standard

·26 September 2024

Erik ten Hag 'impatient' as Manchester United manager names key problem

Red Devils host Tottenham in crunch Premier League game on Sunday

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag admits he is “impatient” as inconsistency continues to prove a major problem.

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The Red Devils followed up consecutive victories over Southampton and Barnsley with two disappointing results, drawing 0-0 with Crystal Palace in the Premier League before sharing the spoils with FC Twente in the Europa League following a 1-1 draw.

Ten Hag was critical of his team for their performance against his former club Twente as pressure grows ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Tottenham.

Asked about the inconsistency, the United boss said: “Of course, it's not good behaviour from me, I am impatient, I want to go straight forward.

"But also be fair, we had success in the last two seasons and we have to work very hard for more success.”

Ten Hag also added that scoring goals is the biggest issue for his team this season. While they notched seven against League One Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, putting the ball in the back of net in the Premier League has proven a very different story.

No United player has scored more than one goal League so far yet this season, with their overall tally standing at just five in as many games. Only Southampton, Crystal Palace and Ipswich have scored fewer.

Summer signing Joshua Zirkzee has only scored one Premier League goal this season

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“That is the problem, the key area is to score more goals as a team,” he continued.

"We have players across the team who have the ability to score, that is clear, you see all the opportunities we are creating but we are not scoring enough."

Ten Hag added that United are not carrying any fresh injury concerns heading into the Spurs game. Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro and Tyrell Malacia are all unavailable.