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Erik ten Hag has hinted that neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Jadon Sancho were hungry enough to play for Manchester United.
In the press conference ahead of tomorrow’s game against Spurs, the manager was asked about the release of Ronaldo and Sancho and, in that context, how important it is for a coach to be able to impose discipline in the dressing room.
“If you want to perform, you need hungry players,” he responded.
“I already said that we need personality and players who are hungry to fight for the shield, to fight for this club and to do it within the team.”
When asked if his hunger had diminished, he replied:
“No. I am managing a project here and I know that you will have setbacks. Like the injuries we had, and I already said it before, no team can handle so many injuries, that causes a drop in level. In addition, we made some decisions in the summer, decisions for the future, but we know that we must always act at short notice and as quickly as possible.
“I know we don’t have time for the decisions we make, but we hired some talent. [With] talent, you need time, like the development you have seen in [Alejandro] Grenache, by Kobbie Mainoo, and also, for example, Rasmus Hojlund. It needs time, but at the same moment I know we don’t have time, but I know this could happen.
“It takes time to achieve that progress and for me it is not difficult, I see it as generational that this is how the process can be. Sometimes you need a few moments to step forward and have that faith. For example, at Arsenal we should win and also at Spurs we should take the lead. We didn’t get to that point in the season and then from there there’s some negativity, some injuries and then you get into a pattern where a lot of things are going against you. You have to face those setbacks, but that belongs to the process.
“So if you ask me that question ‘Is it difficult for you?’ No, it is not difficult for me because I was able to respect from the beginning of this season when it happened, so the process can turn out negative. Then, as a manager, you must maintain a positive attitude and steer the process in the right direction. But in the meantime you have to be pragmatic, score as many points as possible, then wait until the players are fit and in the meantime work on your team, work on individuals, go to higher levels according to the conditions you set and [hope] “May the team perform better and get back on its feet.”
The manager was then asked if he thinks using academy players for the rest of this season would be better in the future than bringing in players on loan.
“So you always have to consider those options, but they were two very good, very successful loans. [Marcel] Sabitzer and Wout Weghorst contributed a lot to our success last year,” he responded.
“When opportunities like this arise, we have to take advantage of them. At the same time, we must analyze what is already on board and what is yet to come. For example, in the summer I already had Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, and I knew that they would make mistakes, maybe we won’t be able to bring them to all the games.
“Kobbie Mainoo got injured in the second game of the season and you lose him for three or four months. Then the process stops and now we have to work with it again. Then you also have to accept that he cannot play three games or 90 minutes in the Premier League in six days, or seven days, that is not possible. “You have to manage that or manage that process because you don’t want him to get injured again.”
Tomorrow’s match kicks off at 16:30 GMT at Old Trafford.
