Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has defended his resolution to play with a false 9 in Sunday’s Premier League defeat to Brighton, whereas he refused to substantiate a transfer for Marko Arnautovic.
The Pink Devils made the worst attainable begin to the Dutchman’s reign at Outdated Trafford, going into half-time 2-0 down after a brace from Pascal Gross.
Ten Hag had began the match with Christian Eriksen main the road as a false 9, however shortly after the break he pushed the Dane right into a deeper function, sacrificed Fred and put Cristiano Ronaldo up prime.
United definitely improved, halving the deficit by way of an personal objective and creating a number of alternatives to degree the scores, although the Dutchman says it merely was not an choice to start out with a extra recognised ahead up prime from the off.
Requested in his post-match press convention if it was a mistake to start out with Eriksen as a false 9, Ten Hag responded: ‘If he was obtainable, the striker, I’d have performed him.’
Probed on why he didn’t select to exchange the injured Anthony Martial with both Ronaldo or Anthony Elanga, the previous Ajax boss mentioned: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo has been in group coaching for perhaps 10 days and that’s too brief for 90 minutes in order that’s the explanation we didn’t begin him.’
Requested if he educated with the false 9, he replied: ‘In fact. We educated fairly effectively. I feel we made passing errors in increase, so that’s nothing to do with whether or not you’re enjoying with a false 9 or a typical quantity 9.’
On Eriksen’s function, he continued: ‘As a result of we didn’t have the standard quantity 9, I knew [Eriksen] performed a very long time as a striker a very long time in the past in Ajax, dropping in.
‘I needed to maintain Jadon and Marcus on the wings, coming inside they have been actually good in pre-season there. Once I assume, lastly, Christian Eriksen is one of the best within the midfield and truly that was additionally the concept that he drops and will get in between the strains and to make the sport.’
United have been linked with a transfer for 33-year-old Austrian striker Marko Arnautovic as Ten Hag seems to be to bolster his attacking choices, although he refused to touch upon the hypothesis.
Requested in regards to the Bologna frontman and the necessity to reinforce his frontline, Ten Hag mentioned: ‘I don’t go into names as a result of I feel on this pre-season perhaps 250 gamers are linked with Man United, in order that’s it.
‘We’ve got two strikers, perhaps a 3rd one with Rashford as effectively – who we thought of as a striker, however he had a very good pre-season on the left facet and likewise at the moment he had two actually good probabilities coming in from the left-hand facet.
‘So I feel it was the correct resolution to do it like this. However we didn’t have the standard 9, it was not obtainable at the moment.’
In an interview with beIN Sports activities, Ten Hag was additionally requested if he feels Ronaldo is able to begin matches but and replied: ‘I don’t assume so on this second. However I feel this sport will assist him and we have now now one week the place he will even progress.’
MORE : ‘They’re not adequate!’ – Roy Keane says Erik ten Hag must ditch Manchester United duo
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