Paul Ince gives hilariously cheeky response when asked if he's met Erik ten Hag

Paul Ince gave a hilariously cheeky response when asked if he had met Erik ten Hag ahead of Reading's FA Cup tie at Manchester United.

Reading travel to Old Trafford on Saturday to face Ten Hag's Man United in the FA Cup fourth round.

Ince will return to his former team having enjoyed six trophy-laden seasons as a player under Sir Alex Ferguson, winning the Premier League title twice in back-to-back years.

He'll put his managerial wits against the Dutch boss, who will be looking to bring success to the club following his arrival last summer.

Ince has yet to meet Ten Hag as revealed in his pre-match press conference. What's more, the Englishman joked about not meeting him, saying he's not met him yet.

A reporter asked him: "Have you met Erik ten Hag at all?" To which he replied: "No, he’s not met me yet."

Ince's brilliant quip went down well as journalists inside the room erupted with laughter.

Paul ince in the dugout for a league match. Image: Alamy

The 55-year-old also shared his thoughts on Ten Hag's start at Man United and claimed he's raised the standards at the club.

"[David] Moyes never really had a chance and with [Louis] van Gaal and [Jose] Mourinho - you expected them to close the gap on Liverpool and City," he said.

"But now, looking at Ten Hag, it’s great. They’re not there yet but at least the fans can see there’s a future going forward.

"It looks like Ten Hag has raised the standards there. He’s brought in the right players and I feel like he’s getting there.

"They’re gelling well. It’s important to have stability, you can’t keep chopping and changing managers."

The Championship team, meanwhile, face Man United off the back of a crushing 4-0 defeat to Stoke City.

As for Ten Hag's side, they're fresh off beating Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final clash.