December 30th 2023.
Erik ten Hag was left frustrated after his Manchester United side succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening. Ten Hag believes injuries are the main culprit for the Red Devils’ woeful inconsistency this season.
The Dutchman was already dealing with a long injury list and was dealt a further blow as Rasmus Hojlund was ruled out of the match through illness. This left Ten Hag without the services of Luke Shaw, Sofyan Amrabat, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount, Victor Lindelof, Casemiro, Harry Maguire and Anthony Martial, all of whom were sidelined due to injury.
When asked why his team are struggling to maintain consistency, having impressively beaten Aston Villa last time out, Ten Hag was adamant. ‘Because of injuries,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘We have also some issues, but mainly the injuries that hold us back in the progress. We have to turn that. What is hopeful is that in January a lot of players are returning and then our levels can be higher.’
Despite the injuries, Ten Hag admitted that his side’s performance was not good enough, especially in the first half, which saw the Red Devils create almost nothing. And despite a better output in the second period, Morgan Gibbs-White scored the winner for Nottingham Forest.
Ten Hag said: ‘It’s clear the result is very disappointing and I was also disappointed with the performance before half-time. We should invest more in moments, we created less before half-time, we should invest more there by quicker play and movements. I thought second half was better. We are in the same boat with the players, they are not happy with this. We have to do better.’
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