Ten Hag on Club's Attractiveness and Current Situation

Manchester United officially released the second part of the pre-match press conference ahead of their Premier League final round away match against Brighton. During the conference, Erik Ten Hag focused on the club’s attractiveness and whether the club is in a better position than last year.

Reporter: Erik, you still have two chances to qualify for the Europa League through your league position or the FA Cup, but you might also end up in the Europa Conference League. For a club like Manchester United, would it be embarrassing to participate in such a competition?

Ten Hag: I don’t consider negative scenarios. We have opportunities, and they are in our own hands, so we must strive for them.

Reporter: But the Europa Conference League… When you can’t offer the chance to play in the Champions League, it’s already hard to attract the best players to Manchester United. So, regardless, it’s a big challenge to bring the best players here, isn’t it?

Ten Hag: Yes, as I said, I am a positive person. We have the initiative, so we must give our all.

Reporter: Yes, I know, but no matter how positive you are, you can’t make it to the Champions League, can you? That’s my point… It’s obvious, we can’t achieve that…

Ten Hag: Yes, so what I want to say is, how hard will it be to attract players through the Europa League or the Europa Conference League, it’s not the Champions League…

Ten Hag: I believe Manchester United is a very attractive club for every player. Of course, you want to play at the highest level, but if you want to be part of a project at a club like Manchester United, I’m confident that it is very attractive to any player.

Reporter: You mentioned staying positive. Clearly, your results are worse than last season, and you can’t make it to the Champions League. But you’ve mentioned young players having a full season here, Mainoo, Garnacho, changes in club ownership, and the internal structure of the football department. Compared to 12 months ago, do you think the club is in a stronger position?

Ten Hag: Could you repeat the last question again?

Reporter: Do you think, due to these changes and young players having had a full season in the Premier League, that the club is in an overall stronger position than it was 12 months ago?

Ten Hag: Yes, I think we have developed some young players and players with great potential who can really improve the quality level of our team. So, I would say that with experienced players, they can form a very good combination and become a very strong team that can compete at the highest level. I think that’s what we’ve shown this season and can prevent other teams from overtaking us. We often perform very calmly and are very competitive.

Reporter: But do you think the club’s overall situation is better than it was 12 months ago?

Ten Hag: When you look at the results, you might say no, but we know the reasons behind them, and I would say yes. As you said, now we have more players, we have more high-level players in our squad. So, from that perspective, we are in a better situation.

Reporter: Erik, let’s talk about Marcus (Rashford). Last month or a few weeks ago, he posted “Enough” on social media because he was abused. Clearly, he feels this has gone beyond what he can tolerate. When you see last night’s interactions, are you concerned? Could Marcus decide to leave the club because of this broken relationship?

Ten Hag: I’ll say it again, yesterday there were 68,000 fans, very positive, the atmosphere was great. It’s fantastic to play for this club, and Marcus knows that.

Reporter: Have you spoken to him about last night’s incident, or about the post he made last month? Have you talked to him about the abuse he received on social media?

Ten Hag: No. But I talk to the players about this issue often; it happens from time to time. As a player, you have to face it. One person doesn’t represent many people; he only represents one person. You have to face it, don’t react, don’t respond, accept it, and move on.