Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount
Chris Byfield
Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount
A damning stat has emerged from Manchester United’s defeat to Rosenborg.
On Monday, United lost 1-0 in a pre-season encounter with Norwegian top-flight outfit Rosenborg, who are halfway through their domestic season.
Ten Hag named Marcus Rashford, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jonny Evans, Mason Mount and Casemiro in his starting line-up, only to take them all off at half-time in a planned switch.
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And the Dutchman was left furious by the performance, which saw Rosenborg eventually take the lead in the 93rd minute through Noah Holm.
Rosenborg hit the post four times and had 22 shots on the United goal before scoring the winner. Such stats will bring back memories of last term for the United faithful. when Ten Hag’s men conceded 20 or more shots in a Premier League game on 15 occasions.
After the game, Ten Hag insisted that his players’ performance was "by far not good enough" and "not the top standard of football".
"The result is not secondary. We play pre-season but at Manchester United, there's a standard," the Dutchman told MUTV after the game.
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"You win games. Definitely, you don't lose games. If you can't win, don't lose the game as we did at the end, the last second of the game.
"The performance is more important. The performance was below standard."
The result could have been worse for United, had young goalkeeper Radek Vitek not made six key saves in Trondheim.
Ten Hag said: "Let's say he got the opportunity from the team to make some very good saves - because our performance as a team is by far not good enough.
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"I have seen this is not the standard for top football. Top football, you have to achieve much higher standards. It starts with any individual, make sure you are fit.
"I know we can't be match fit at this moment, therefore, you need these games. I know we are playing an opponent who are in their league, they have a much higher fitness level. But still, we are Man Utd and players and teams from Man Utd must perform better."
On the youngsters who made an appearance, Ten Hag continued: "They always listen, they try to transfer. We didn't succeed today.
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"But the attitude, they want to transfer the coaching play model, they are always willing to do it. But it is clear today we didn't transfer it to the pitch."