Their successive 3-0 defeats to local rivals Manchester City and Newcastle United have increased the pressure on Erik ten Hag.
Follow Us
It goes without saying that Manchester United are going through a difficult run of late. In fact, the Red Devils have been poor all season. Not only have they been unable to replicate last season’s form but the club is also struggling to find any sort of momentum. Their successive 3-0 defeats to local rivals Manchester City and Newcastle United have increased the pressure on Erik ten Hag. Not only the results but the performances were equally poor, causing massive concerns among the fan base.
However, Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay is convinced that the team can turn it around. United have two difficult trips to deal with next, as they travel to Fulham in the Premier League and FC Copenhagen in the Champions League. “We have to win. That’s always the thought process. Obviously, my thoughts are with the fans at the minute because we’re not playing well and it’s difficult for them – they pay their hard-earned money every week to come and watch us and the least we can do is play well and win football matches,” McTominay told the club media.
The Scotland international has urged his teammates to “stay tight” in the dressing room and keep a clear head as they fight to get out of the difficult situation. “It’s not quite happening at the moment, sometimes that’s football. I feel like, for us in that dressing room, we have to stay tight and keep a clear head, and we can’t get too emotional with everything that surrounds us. We’ve got to block it all out,” he elaborated.
McTominay stated that the players feel anger towards themselves when they walk into the dressing room, as they are unable to please the supporters. “You saw last night it was a difficult game in every aspect, in terms of the result. But the fans are always there and are always behind us. I feel like the players feel that whenever we go back inside the dressing room – the anger is towards ourselves and also the anger is towards not pleasing the fans and giving them what they want,” the midfielder said.
He added: “I can assure the fans that’s probably the most important thing in the players’ heads, we want to do it for the people who travel home and away and watch every single game and support us. Forget about all the people who don’t care about us and write stupid things in the media and try to divide us and all the other things. That’s not important to us at the moment. Everyone has to come together and, when the next game comes, we have to fight like dogs, that’s the way it’s got to be.”
McTominay is also hoping that they can get a good run of results before the upcoming international break. Speaking about the work happening behind the scenes, he said, “Of course, there’s more that goes into it when you’re not playing well and you’re not doing so well. I know the fans don’t want to hear that, they want to see results and performances and I think they want to see the players smiling and happy. It’s not quite happening at the moment, but I’m 100 per cent sure that the manager can put that into practice and it can come off. I’m sure of that.”
He added: “I’m repeating myself quite a bit, but that’s the main thing in football – there is always another game when you can put it right. We could go and play well at Fulham, win in Copenhagen and you’ve got another game after. So things can change quickly. That’s the way it is as a football player. If we can have three wins going into the international break then we can come back and begin to kick on from there.”
More Football Stories:
David Raya to Arsenal: Why did the Spaniard choose to join the Gunners on loan?
Andre Onana to Manchester United: What is the new goalkeeper’s jersey number for 2023-24 season?
Premier League: Which players have scored the most goals in a single season?
EPL stats: Which clubs have conceded the most last-minute winners in Premier League?
EPL stats: Which clubs have scored the most number of last-minute winners in Premier League?
How long will Kevin De Bruyne be out injured? Pep Guardiola responds
