Erik ten Hag is already downplaying Man United’s title credentials – as summer spending will reach £179m before Rasmus Hojlund signs – claiming only champions City can be considered pre-season contenders
- Manchester United secured a return to the Champions League last season
- Erik ten Hag’s side will bring their spending with striker Rasmus Hojlund to £179
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Erik ten Hag admits that Manchester United cannot yet consider themselves a title contender in the Premier League.
United will increase their summer spending to £179m for Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Andre Onana as they look to close the gap on champions Manchester City.
But Ten Hag believes City’s dominance under Pep Guardiola means they are the only team that can go into the new campaign to live up to their title hopes, while United must concentrate on the top-four battle.
“I think we shouldn’t talk about that in pre-season,” Ten Hag said before United ended their pre-season tour of the US.
“I don’t think anyone in the Premier League can do that. Perhaps City can do that, as they have won the title five times in the last six years.
Erik ten Hag believes that his team is far from being eligible as a title candidate
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have won five of the last six Premier League titles at the Etihad
Man United have again spent big money this summer, but Ten Hag believe their target is still the top four
Then they can talk about it. But every other club has to fight for the first four positions first, and then the first two, and then maybe you can try to get yourself into that position. But don’t talk about that achievement.’
Ten Hag claims United have narrowed the gap to City since arriving, but accepts Guardiola’s side’s consistency makes them favourites.
“I think we’ve proven we can beat them, but you have to do it every day and at the moment we still have a way to go,” he added. “City also win their games much easier than us, so I see the facts.
“But I don’t want to talk about it because it sounds negative and it’s not what I meant. I want to talk about our project. I want to talk about how we’re improving, and I think the improvements last year and the result were pretty clear.
“But also in the execution it was quite clear that we could beat the big opponents and also City. In the three games you saw, absolutely we raised the levels against them.”