Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has admitted that they need more options in the attacking department.
The Red Devils secured a win over Real Sociedad when they took on the Spanish outfit in their final game of the 22/23 Europa League group stage on Thursday. Man Utd needed to win by at least two goals to finish as Group E but could only manage a 1-0 victory.
Against Sociedad on Thursday, the Old Trafford side were short on options in the attacking department. Ten Hag’s starting XI had Cristiano Ronaldo, Alejandro Garnacho, Donny van de Beek and Bruno Fernandes making up the top four.
On the bench he only had Marcus Rashford as an attacking option. Anthony Martial, Antony and Jadon Sancho were absent from the Man Utd squad for the match.
Erik ten Hag admits Man Utd need more options to choose from in attack
Speaking after Man Utd’s 1-0 win over Real Sociedad, Ten Hag said he needs more options to choose from in attack. “We need options,” the Dutchman told BT Sport. “We have problems there.
“Antony is not available, Anthony Martial is not available, Jadon Sancho is not available, but I am very happy with that performance and I hope [Garnacho] can keep the process going.”
Against Sociedad, Man Utd added the three points thanks to Garnacho’s goal in the 17th minute. The young Argentine put Man Utd ahead with a resounding shot after Ronaldo put it in.
However, Man Utd were unable to find another goal that would have taken them directly to the Europa League round of 16. Instead, they will play a Champions League dropout in a two-leg playoff for a place in the round of 16. .
Against Sociedad, Ten Hag also brought in Harry Maguire for Garnacho as an attacker in the 82nd minute of the match. It was surprising to see Ten Hag deploy the centre-back as an attacking player as Man Utd desperately sought his second goal.
Ten Hag also explained his decision to play Maguire as an attacker, stating that the England international was substituted to bring in additional attacking players.
Meanwhile, Manchester United take on Aston Villa in an away game in the Premier League this weekend. The Red Devils currently sit fifth in the points table with 23 points from 12 games. The match between Aston Villa and Man Utd kicks off at 7:30pm Indian Standard Time next Sunday.
