Erik ten Hag outlines new ‘very proactive’ Man Utd approach

Erik ten Hag says he wants his Manchester United side to be ‘very proactive’ both with and without the ball. The Dutchman is preparing for his third season as Red Devils boss but despite leading them to EFL Cup and FA Cup titles so far and signing a new contract over the summer, he’ll be […]

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Erik ten Hag says he wants his Manchester United side to be ‘very proactive’ both with and without the ball.

The Dutchman is preparing for his third season as Red Devils boss but despite leading them to EFL Cup and FA Cup titles so far and signing a new contract over the summer, he’ll be under pressure after slipping to eighth in the Premier League in 2023/24.

United have had mixed success in pre-season so far, losing to both Rosenborg and Arsenal, while beating Rangers 2-0 and, most recently, Real Betis 3-2.

Following the latter, which saw United play some exciting attacking football but suffer lapses in defence, Ten Hag revealed he is working on making his side more ‘proactive’ on both sides of the ball.

“What we want to achieve is we want to be very proactive and very aggressive and it doesn’t matter if sometimes we are high [up the pitch] or sometimes in a lower block,” Ten Hag told reporters (via the Manchester United website).

“We have to be very aggressive and in order to get this we need to start the press at certain points and all be on one page. Then the intensity must convert to being with the ball and we must do this as a team.”

In the immediate term, Ten Hag must also manage the minutes of a squad currently suffering from injuries, with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Leny Yoro, Rasmus Hojlund and Antony facing time out.

“This week everyone has to get more minutes in to come [up] to match fitness,” the former Ajax boss said. “Of course, the games will get tougher and I think on Saturday it will be a very good test when we face Liverpool. That is very good preparation for the new season.”

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