- Manchester United suffered a 1-0 defeat in their opening match of pre-season
- Erik ten Hag missed a number of players due to international commitments
- Listen to It’s all about to begin! EUROS DAILY: Will Gareth Southgate stay at the World Cup?
Erik ten Hag is furious with his Manchester United players after their pre-season defeat to Rosenborg. He warned his young stars that they were far from meeting his standards.
United lost 1-0 in what was almost the very last kick of the game. It was a deserved defeat for a very young United in Norway.
While many first-team regulars are on holiday after competing in Euro 2024, Mason Mount, Marcus Rashford and Casemiro were still in the game. Still, it was a team performance that left the manager angry.
‘The result is not secondary and of course we play the preparation, but at Man United the norm is that you win games and certainly don’t lose games,’ he said. MUTV.
‘If you can’t win games, don’t lose like we did in the end, the last second of the game. Of course the performance is more important and the performance was below par.’
Erik ten Hag was unimpressed by Man United in their defeat to Rosenborg
Casemiro (left) and Mason Mount (right) both suffered a run-out in the first half in Norway
When asked about his standards and how far removed this young group ultimately was from him, Ten Hag did not mince his words.
“We can talk about everything that is bad, but I am not that kind of person,” he added.
‘This is not the standard for top football. Top football requires much higher standards and that starts with each individual making sure they are fit.
“I know you can’t be match fit at the moment and you need these games. I know we’re playing against an opponent in their league who has a much higher fitness level, but still.
‘We are Man United and players from Man United, a Man United team, should perform much better.’
More of United’s regular players were given minutes in the first half, with Casemiro making a nasty foul that many felt should have resulted in a red card.
Mount was moved into a deeper role alongside the Brazilian, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka started at right-back and Marcus Rashford on the left flank.
But United looked out of shape and creative in their opening pre-season match.
Hannibal Mejbri (right) is back in the team after a difficult loan period in Spain with Sevilla
Marcus Rashford did not go to the European Championship with England and was involved in the first half
Young goalkeeper Radek Vitek made a number of impressive saves, although Ten Hag felt his teammates offered little resistance.
“He was given the opportunity by the team to make some really good saves because our performance as a team was definitely not good enough,” said the Dutchman.
New coaches Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake sat next to Ten Hag in the dugout and the United manager was asked what Van Nistelrooy, who was in deep discussions with a few players in Norway, could contribute.
“He is a very ambitious manager with great skills, so he will definitely help the team,” said Ten Hag.
‘He will help the individual players, but certainly also the team, as the whole team is about attacking and pressing.’
United’s next match is in Scotland on Saturday, where they face Rangers in preparation for their tour of the United States.