Erik Ten Hag Only Wants To Be Judged On Winning Trophies At Manchester United

Manchester United have so far enjoyed a successful season forcing themselves into the Premier League title race, reaching the Carabao Cup final and remaining in both the FA Cup and the Europa League.

But their manager Erik ten Hag will only declare this season to be a success if they win at least one of the four trophies still on offer to them.

“I see it so far as not a success,” the Dutchman said at a press conference on Friday. “It’s more the road, to hopefully success because it’s only success when you win trophies. On Sunday, we have an opportunity to get the success.”

On Sunday United face Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley stadium for the chance to win their first trophy since 2017.

“It’s a great opportunity to get the silverware in and it’s all about that. I think it’s about glory and honour in football. We deserved to play the final and now we have a great opportunity to win the cup so we have to put everything in to get that cup to Manchester…you feel it, the fans are really waiting for it. So we do everything we can to give the fans their honour.”

“I think we are in a process where everyone believes. We go from game to game. And now we are now looking forward to the next game. You can see the direction and we have to follow that line. Every time we want to improve, to beat the best.”

“It’s great. As you have seen, we take every game serious. We take every competition serious so now we have progress to a final and it’s great to play in a final. But if you play, you want to win.”

United’s opponents on Sunday Newcastle have enjoyed a promising season and are aiming to win their first domestic trophy since the FA Cup in 1955.

“I think it’s a great team, with a clear philosophy of how they want to play the game,” Ten Hag has said. “The key word is intensity, they are doing really well. They are an annoying team to play against, so we have to find a way to win against them…They try to annoy you. So we have to make sure we play our own game and we focus on our game.”

Ten Hag was asked if it was Newcastle’s time-wasting tactics that specifically annoyed him. “Yes, for instance. If you see the FA, the referees, they want to play the effective time. So they have the lowest in the league. They are quite successful with it, so it’s up to us that we get speed in the game. But also we are then dependent on the refereeing as well.”

United go into the final after having beaten Barcelona in their Europa League play-off tie this week, which Ten Hag hopes will give his side some crucial momentum.

“Oh yes, that was a good feeling, that unified feeling. We are really together and that was good. It was a great opponent, because it’s one of the best teams in Europe. And if you can beat them that’s great. Sunday is a challenge again but totally different, and it is also great to play them. To find a way to play against different styles, different systems. And every time, of course, you want to beat them. Every time to find a good plan and a strategy to beat opponents.”

Ten Hag confirmed that Anthony Martial would not be available for the Carabao Cup final, but was still waiting to learn if Marcus Rashford would be fit after he was substituted in the final minutes of the win against Barcelona on Thursday.