Ten Hag wants Man Utd to 'get back to work' after League Cup glory

• by Agence France-Presse , Feb 28, 2023

Erik ten Hag has urged Manchester United to "get back to work" as the League Cup winner looks to land more silverware after ending the club's six-year trophy drought.

Ten Hag's team beat Newcastle 2-0 in the League Cup final on Sunday to end United's worst trophy drought in 40 years. But the celebration was short-lived as manager Ten Hag sets his sights on a period of sustained success.

United hosts West Ham in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday, takes on Real Betis in the Europa League round of 16 in March and still has an outside chance of catching Premier League leader Arsenal. With that in mind, Ten Hag and his players were back on the training field just 19 hours after the final whistle at Wembley.

Asked if there was any further celebration after leaving London last weekend, the United boss told reporters "No. Nothing beyond. Get back to work. Of course, the players were still enthusiastic, and they had to celebrate this momentum. But, on Monday after we settled down, we get back to work. That's what we had to do, that was recovery. The ones who played less did a good training session."

Ten Hag may be tempted to rotate his starting lineup against West Ham in the midst of a hectic schedule. The Dutchman has largely relied on the same players despite United's relentless schedule.

"Let's make myself clear: we didn't win [the League Cup] with 11 players. We did win with a squad," he said. "I think the squad is so important, every time players come in if it's for a whole game, if it's for minutes, a couple of games, I think also during games we can change dynamics. We do it with many more than 11 players, so I count on them, and I know they will be ready because every time the players play their games, they take responsibility. It's about that, take responsibility but also you have to fight for your position. There are great months ahead of us, so great games and I think everyone wants to play games. The players who form the best teams will play."

That collective effort is underpinned by a much-improved mentality, meaning there is no chance of this weekend's Premier League clash at bitter rival Liverpool proving a distraction for Ten Hag's team.

"I think every game is important, every game until now. This dressing room has the right attitude and the right approach that they take game by game, not looking ahead," Ten Hag said. "You said it's the biggest game, so Barcelona is not a big game?"

smg/nr

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