(Reuters) – Manchester United’s manager Erik Ten Hag has expressed confidence in his squad’s ability to compete with the top teams in the Premier League despite a recent slump in form. The team is currently in seventh place in the standings, six points off the top four, and has struggled to score in their last three games, with losses to Bournemouth and Bayern Munich, followed by a goalless draw at Liverpool.
Ten Hag has attributed these struggles to a string of injuries, with key players such as Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount, Tyrell Malacia, Victor Lindelof, and Amad Diallo all sidelined. Despite this, he remains optimistic about their prospects for the rest of the season.
“I think what has definitely hurt (us) was we had, in crucial positions, we had the problems,” Ten Hag told reporters on Friday. “You have to deal with that.”
“But everyone understands when you have such key players who are not available, it will have a negative effect on results. Still, we are in a place where we can change this story, change this season.”
“I am confident, when the players are back, we will have a good and strong squad. Liverpool were top of the league (last weekend), so we were competitive with them… This team, this squad, is strong when everyone is on board and we can beat anyone.”
Looking ahead, United faces West Ham United on Saturday and will then host second-placed Aston Villa on Tuesday. Ten Hag and his team will be aiming to bounce back and secure positive results in these upcoming fixtures. (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
