Speaking ahead of the Premier League match away to Nottingham Forest, ten Hag believes some of his key players will return at the start of the new year.
Follow Us
It goes without saying that Manchester United have been extremely unlucky with injuries this season. The Red Devils have already suffered several injuries in just half a campaign. Some of them have been long-term absentees. This has constantly forced Erik ten Hag to continuously rotate his squad from back to front. However, there could be some positive news regarding the recovery of a few first-team players.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has provided an update on return dates for players like Mason Mount and Casemiro. Speaking ahead of the Premier League match away to Nottingham Forest, ten Hag believes some of his key players will return at the start of the new year. “I think in mid-January, we expect many players back, Mason [Mount], Casemiro, [Lisandro] Martinez, [Tyrell] Malacia. So, we expect Harry Maguire [back] of course. We expect many players to return in January,” ten Hag, quoted on the club’s website, said during his pre-match press conference.
The United manager also informed whether any player would return for the Forest game, as he spoke about what to expect from Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. “To start with that last [question], I don’t think so. So, it will be a similar squad as we had against Villa. You see with them [Forest], the reaction when the new manager is coming in, you see the spirit. We have to be ready for that and it’s always about us, but be aware of it. They have the right spirit, and they built the confidence but we did as well, so we have to continue in the performance,” he explained.
Manchester United enjoyed a morale-boosting 3-2 victory over Aston Villa in midweek. It was a game where the Red Devils came from 2-0 down to win it 3-2 in second half. When asked how does he get that consistency in his results, ten Hag replied, “Also, that’s about us, so we proved despite all the setbacks – not any team can deal with so many setbacks we have had. So the number of points we are not satisfied [with].”
He added: “But when we have all the players back, this squad is strong and we proved it against Arsenal, against Liverpool, against Villa who are number one, two and three in the league. We went head-to-head and we could have won all the games. We didn’t, but definitely in the last game our side proved it. We showed how hungry we are, [we showed] determination. [With] the right mentality, we can beat anyone.”
Consistency has been a big problem with United this season. Despite having some good results, they have not been able to go on a good run of results in all competitions. In such a scenario, ten Hag was asked why the comeback victory against Villa was any different. “So, it showed once again this squad is strong. Even when many players are not on board, we can compete, we can go head-to-head with the strongest teams in this league. So, when the players are back, we can beat anyone if the mentality is right and that’s up to us. We have to get consistency in,” he stated.
More Football Stories:
Wataru Endo news: Why did the Japanese midfielder decide to join Liverpool in the summer?
Manchester United news: How can the Red Devils turn their season around? Scott McTominay responds
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
