Erik ten Hag urges his Manchester United players to correct their mistakes… with recent mistakes by David de Gea and Luke Shaw in defeats to West Ham and Brighton denting their top-four chances
- David de Gea was at fault for West Ham’s winner against Manchester United
- Luke Shaw previously received an injury time penalty against Brighton
- Those mistakes allowed Liverpool to close the gap to them in the table
Erik ten Hag has urged his Manchester United players to eliminate the individual mistakes in their play to secure a top four finish and Champions League qualification.
David de Gea was at fault for West Ham’s winner at the London Stadium last Sunday when he bounced Said Benrahma’s tame shot over his outstretched right hand.
Three days earlier, Luke Shaw was given an injury time penalty against Brighton for an unnecessary handball as United lost again 1–0.
Ten Hag accepts that mistakes are made in football, but worries that in both cases a loss of focus was to blame.
The Dutchman hopes a week off for the first time since September and the opportunity to work with his players at Carrington has helped the players refocus their focus and weed out any mistakes.
Erik ten Hag has urged his Manchester United players to scrap their individual fouls
David de Gea failed to handle Said Benrahma’s weak shot as he slid it over his outstretched right arm to give the Hammers a 1-0 win over the Red Devils.
In the game before, Luke Shaw awarded Brighton a game-winning penalty in stoppage time for a handball
De Gea in particular has come under fire for his latest gaffe, as talks continue over a new contract for the Spanish goalkeeper on reduced terms.
When asked how De Gea is doing, Ten Hag replies: ‘Also good. We can’t get around it, but individual fouls are part of football and there was a big individual foul in the game against Brighton. But sometimes it happens. It shouldn’t happen, if you’re focused it won’t happen, that’s part of this week’s reset.’
The United boss also confirmed he sees a future for Amad Diallo at Old Trafford following the youngster’s impressive season on loan at Sunderland.
‘Yes, of course,’ said Ten Hag. “We borrow such players to develop and progress to bring them back, that is the purpose of the loan.
“They’re really strong. We guide them, we follow them, we have communication throughout the season, especially Darren Fletcher invests a lot in such a process. The goal is to bring them back as a better player with experience.’