Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was notably displeased with his team’s performance in their pre-season opener against Rosenborg BK.
The Reds began their preparations for the 2024/25 season with a 1-0 loss, with Noah Jean Holm’s injury-time goal sealing their fate at the Lerkendal Stadion in Norway.
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Before the match, Ten Hag expressed his desire for his players to exhibit “intensity” in their first pre-season match.
He also emphasized the importance of being “hard to beat” against their opponents, who are currently 11th in the Eliteserien table. However, their underwhelming performance fell short of expectations.
In his post-match interview with MUTV, a frustrated Ten Hag labeled the performance as “not good enough” and referred to declining standards.
“The result is not secondary,” Ten Hag stated. “Of course, we play pre-season but at Manchester United the standard is you win games and definitely don’t lose games.
“So if you can’t win, don’t lose the game, like we did in the last second of the game. But of course, the performance is more important and the performance was below standards.
“Let’s say he (Vitek) got the opportunity from the team to make some very good saves because the performance from the team is, by far, not good enough.”
Ten Hag continued: “We can talk [about] everything that is bad, but I’m not that guy. I have seen and this is not the standard for top football. Top football, you have to achieve much higher standards, starts with any individual, make sure you’re fit.
“I know we can’t be match-fit in this moment, I know you need these games.
“The opponent is in the league, they have a much higher fitness level but we are Man United and players from Man United, a team from Man United, should perform better.”
Considering that Rosenborg are midway through their domestic season in Norway, while many of the United players are just returning from their summer break, it’s understandable why their performance was less than ideal.
But Ten Hag is clearly not in the mood to make excuses.
Jonny Evans, who signed a new contract at Old Trafford last week, was joined by Mason Mount, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Casemiro, and Marcus Rashford in the starting line-up on Monday.
Hannibal also started, alongside highly-regarded forward Ethan Wheatley, but it was Czech goalkeeper Radek Vitek’s performance that received the most praise.
In his post-match interview, Ten Hag also shared his views on new assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy, who recently joined the coaching staff along with another former Eredivisie manager, Rene Hake.
Ten Hag on Ruud van Nistelrooy: “He is a VERY ambitious manager. He has a great skill set. He will help the team — definitely attacking-wise!”
United are set to face Scottish Premiership side Rangers on Saturday in their second pre-season game of the campaign.