Erik ten Hag explains first step Manchester United must take to reach Man City

With the race for the top four still in Manchester United’s hands, Erik ten Hag has spoken to the press about the importance of securing a Champions League spot this season.

Ahead of Saturday’s fixture which will see Manchester United travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth, Erik ten Hag has said that, despite remaining focused on the game at hand, a place in the Champions League next season remains key to his project at Manchester United and catch European finalists Manchester City.

“When I see this project, first of all, it’s important to get in the Champions League, I don’t think today at that standard, I look to the next game, Bournemouth, we have to win that game to get in the Champions League.

“Focus on the game, the games coming up, the first game is the most important.”

Read More: Predicted Manchester United XI to face Bournemouth (Premier League)

United are currently fourth in the league with 66 points, one point ahead of Liverpool who sit in fifth, but with a game in hand. Manchester United need just six points to guarantee a spot in the Champions League, making a win on Saturday a crucial step in that direction.

When asked further about tomorrow’s opponents, Ten Hag had only good things to say about Gary O’Neil’s side.

“I think as far as I can see, I think it’s really brilliant a club as Bournemouth, they are in the Premier League and three games before the end of the season they are definitely in the league next season as well. It’s massive. You can see clear patterns, so well done.”

Bournemouth, despite many predicting them to finish bottom of the league, have had a great season, currently sitting in 14th place and eight points clear of the relegation zone.

However, Bournemouth are in a bit of a tough period at the moment, having lost three of their last five games, and so, given the stakes of the game for each team’s season, a performance reminiscent of the 3-0 United victory in the reverse fixture is expected by many.

With regards to player availability, Erik ten Hag confirmed that Raphaël Varane is available while Scott McTominay has returned to training. Unfortunately, despite taking part in training earlier this week, Marcus Rashford, who missed last week’s game due to a leg injury, has picked up an illness and remains a doubt to face Bournemouth. Speaking on this, Ten Hag said

“We have to see how he recovers during the day and see tomorrow.”

Should Rashford not be available to start the game, then Alejandro Garnacho is expected to fill in on the left side of the attack, having impressed off the bench as he scored against Wolves last weekend.

Bournemouth vs Manchester United kicks off on Saturday afternoon. Despite not being broadcast in the United Kingdom, details on how you can follow the game elsewhere, or how you can watch the game internationally can be found here.