Erik ten Hag has admitted that his team is not yet ready for the start of the new season as yet.
The start of the new season is just a day away, with Manchester United set to host Fulham.
Manchester United’s transfer activity under INEOS
Manchester United under INEOS have had a pretty decent transfer window so far. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has significantly backed ten Hag in the transfer market, spending a considerable amount to secure the signings of Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, and Noussair Mazraoui.
Despite these additions, pre-season has been far from ideal for ten Hag and his team. Injuries have hit United hard in pre-season, with new signing Leny Yoro ruled out for the start of the season, alongside Rasmus Højlund and Luke Shaw.
Meanwhile, Joshua Zirkzee, who joined the team late after the Euros, is also not yet match-fit.
Erik ten Hag makes worrying admission
Speaking to the press ahead of the game tomorrow, ten Hag confirmed that new signings Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui will be available.
However, he made a rather honest admission about the team not being ready for the start of the season.
He said (quotes via Sky Sports):
“It’s true it’s not the pre-season where you can in five, six weeks work on the team. It’s very complicated.
“We had the USA tour squad, then we add the players who did the Euros and Copa America, and now new signings and now we have to make a team from it.
“That team is not ready, but the league starts – and there are more managers to deal with this problem.
“We definitely have this problem but, still, we have some rules, some principles and we have to make a start.
“We can’t hide ourselves, we can’t run away from it, so we have to deal with it.”
“Issues are there but it’s not about the players who are not available. It’s also what I said always last season.
“It’s about the players who are available and we have a good group, we can make a strong selection, we can put out a strong team so we will do.”
Ten Hag’s admission is likely to concern United fans, who are eager for an improved campaign after last season’s disappointments.
Publicly acknowledging that the team is not fully prepared could have psychological impact on the players, but ten Hag appears to be focused on working with the players who are available.
A victory against Fulham would be the perfect way to kick off the new season, but it’s clear that United still have work to do to reach their full potential.