Erik ten Hag press conference: Team news vs Everton; Donny van de Beek; playing with intensity
Manchester United are straight back into action on Sunday when they face Everton in the Premier League, having been in Cyprus on Thursday night for Europa League duty.
Days after being thrashed by Manchester City, United unexpectedly went behind against Omonia but fought back to eventually win 3-2.
Rather than race back to Manchester after the game, the team stayed overnight for warm weather training in Cyprus on Friday morning before then flying home in the afternoon.
Read on for the key part of his pre-match press conference.
Team news vs Everton
Are any injured players back in contention?
"[Raphael] Varane has made progress and I hope he’s available but I think it will be close. From the other players, Harry Maguire is not [available] and then it’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Donny van de Beek, both not.”
Donny van de Beek
What is Donny van de Beek's situation?
"He had a muscle injury and so it takes him a couple of weeks. He’s now back on the training grass so he’s outside doing his work but still individually. He’s not returned to team training so we have to wait for that moment.”
Can Donny van de Beek still make an impact at Man Utd?
"He has to be fit. Obviously, that is a disadvantage. He has now been here for two-and-a-half years. He had pre-season, that was quite okay, then his chances will come.
"When he came on against Brighton, he came on as a sub and did very well but you have to be available and when you are not available you cannot get a place in the first XI. Now he has to make sure he gets fit and fights for his position."
Playing with intensity
How can Man Utd achieve the intensity you have asked for?
"It’s physical, it’s mental. It’s also sustainability. Especially, it’s like a routine. A way of life and you have to bring it every training, in your system as a squad and as an individual player. You had a lack of it in the last years. It’s not something that you build or progress in a week or a month.
"It has to be consistent, but it is a demand in top football nowadays. I think it’s quite clear City sets the standard in that and there are more teams but I think that also we can deliver that.
"We have seen it against Liverpool, we have seen it against Arsenal but now we have to do it on a consistent basis. That is what we have to work for now but this will not come overnight it will also take more than weeks, it will take months.”
How do you balance that development with the need for results?
"That’s a balance. I will give players trust. I will back them when they are in a worse shape. When they work hard, when they give their best in training sessions, when they take responsibility on the pitch, I will back them but also we are United and our ambitions are really high so you have to deliver. Every player in the squad has to take that responsibility individually and they have to do it in a team culture. That’s the demand from us, from the coaching staff, to the players.”
Do Man Utd need to be more nasty?
"I think also in that manner we can progress. Sometimes also play a little bit more smart. We have too many bookings and some in the start I heard yeah in the Premier League they will play tough but I’m really wondering, we collect so many bookings and I don’t understand.
"The first booking on Sunday, I really don’t understand that. We want to play tough and we want to keep the game going and in the second minute already it’s a booking [Diogo Dalot on Jack Grealish]. I think it’s a duel. Clearly it’s a foul, but then you get booked. And also I saw many other bookings I think: ‘Okay, is that necessary?’ But also I take it to the players. I have to keep the mirror [they have to look at themselves], that they have to play smart but they also have to play nasty as well.”
Listen now to 90min's Manchester United podcast, The Promised Land, with Scott Saunders & Rob Blanchette. In the latest episode, they discuss the Europa League win over Omonia and look ahead to the Everton game in the Premier League.
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