Latest on Manchester United News: Erik ten Hag says he will treat every game in the remaining competitions with utmost importance
Erik ten Hag, manager of Manchester United, says he will not prefer one competition over another while his team is still in the middle of three different competitions and in the midst of a demanding stretch of games.
“We approach this game by game, what can we do?” Ten Hag said after Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest. “We have to win. We are United, we have to win every game.”
United’s victory over relegation-threatened Forest at the City Ground moved them into third place and solidified their hold on a top-four Premier League berth.
The game was split between the first and second legs of their Europa League quarter-final versus Sevilla. Following a 2-2 tie in the first leg, United will travel to Seville for the second leg on Thursday. Next Sunday, they face Brighton in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.
“The points are getting more expensive at this period of the season, because they are all finals, they are really battling against relegation, they are giving their lives and this is every opponent, or they go for the top, so you have to really fight and battle for every point,” Ten Hag said.
A slew of injuries has added to the difficulty of their hectic schedule. United were already missing forward Marcus Rashford and defenders Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez when midfielder Marcel Sabitzer injured his groin in warm-ups on Sunday.
“Sabitzer came off in the warm-up, he felt something,” the manager said. “We decided not to take the risk, we will find out (Monday) what it is.
“But when you have (Christian) Eriksen on the bench, it is definitely not a disadvantage.
“Last week I had nine fit top defenders, now I have four,” Ten Hag added. “We need all our players, we are still in three competitions, we need all the players to form a top team.”
With eight games remaining, United has already surpassed last season’s Premier League point total of 59 from 30 games.
Diogo Dalot, who scored his first Premier League goal in his 100th game for United on Sunday, says his club is in for a “big week.”
“Two decisive games, we want to be in position to fight for trophies,” he said. “Now we have a chance to get close to a final, and to get to a final. Hopefully we win both games.”
They have already won one prize this season, the League Cup, which they won in late February.
