Erik ten Hag has urged Manchester United to pursue a “really fruitful season” by winning the FA Cup, and Europa League, and finishing in the top four, with Christian Eriksen and Casemiro set to return soon.
Ten Hag’s squad has won the Carabao Cup and is fourth as they host Everton on Saturday and Sevilla in the opening leg of their Europa League quarterfinal on Thursday. They will face Brighton in the FA Cup semifinals on April 23. United will include Eriksen, who has been sidelined since January due to injury, in their lineup on Saturday, the concluding game of Casemiro’s four-game suspension.
Erik ten Hag urges his team to grab ‘even more silverware’
Ten Hag stated, “Since we have already won a cup, we must have a tremendously successful season. We have a fantastic team, so I am optimistic that we will have a successful final stretch of the season and win even more hardware. We are competing for a place in the Premier League’s top four, the quarterfinals of the Europa League, and the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
The manager discussed the impact that Eriksen and Casemiro could have. “It is evident that they are two of our most valuable athletes,” he said. “We are all aware of the importance of the midfield, and over the course of several games we have had to establish a new equilibrium, which is not simple at this point in the season.
When Eriksen and Casemiro come back, it will provide the team more flexibility.
“Introducing new athletes into a different position can be a process of trial and error.” That is exactly what we did. I was very delighted with the midfield’s performance against Brentford [in Wednesday’s 1-0 victory] because we played so well there and they did an outstanding job. I believe they can advance.”
In that encounter, Scott McTominay partnered Marcel Sabitzer in the midfield, and Luke Shaw was forced off due to an injury about which Ten Hag declined to elucidate.
“It is a personal matter,” he stated. “At this time, I do not believe [he will be out for weeks], but we must observe his recovery. I believe he can return soon… Sometimes it is easy to underestimate the severity of an injury, but Luke performed admirably and understands his body well. He fired at the optimal time, prior to receiving additional damage.”