Erik ten Hag admits “not great” Manchester United tactic vs Newport County

Erik ten Hag has admitted that his side’s defensive transitions were not great as they beat Newport County 4-2 in the FA Cup fourth round.

Manchester United scored four goals against Newport County as the club advanced into the fifth round of the FA Cup after second-half goals from Antony and Rasmus Højlund secured qualification.

Erik ten Hag‘s men made life much harder for themselves than it needed to be after they let Newport claw their way back to 2-2 after Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo handed United an early lead.

Read More: Player Ratings – Newport County 2-4 Manchester United (FA Cup)

Speaking after the fixture, Ten Hag admitted that his side were poor at using the tactic of defensive transition against Newport.

“The first 35 minutes were very comfortable, leading 2-0. It should have been 3-0 or 4-0. They created chances out of nothing,” Ten Hag told the BBC.

“Our defence transition was not great. We had to start again to win this game, and we did. Well done, boys.

“We controlled the game, maybe we went a little bit slower. We had the chance to go 3-0. Garnacho hit the crossbar. They had nothing, really nothing, and then they scored a goal.”

Next up, United will return to Premier League action as they travel to face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday, 1 February.