Erik ten Hag explains two areas Manchester United “need to improve” in this season

Erik ten Hag has explained two areas where Manchester United “need to improve” in the new season ahead of their Premier League opener.

After United‘s defeat against Manchester City in the Community Shield last weekend, Erik ten Hag‘s side turn their attention towards a return to Premier League action.

United host Fulham at Old Trafford on Friday evening in their opening clash of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.

New signings Joshua Zirkzee, Noussair Mazraoui, and Matthijs de Ligt could all make their debuts for the club.

However, in order to start the season strongly, the Reds are going to need to find their shooting boots.

Last term, Ten Hag’s side scored just 57 goals across the league campaign. That was the joint-worst of any team that finished in the top half of the table.

Marcus Rashford’s 30-goal campaign helped the team during Ten Hag’s first season in charge, and the manager has explained that the entire team need to be more clinical this coming campaign.

However, he has also suggested that the team will also need to improve when defending their box, suggesting that teams have been able to punish United despite not creating many chances.

Asked about the team’s ability to score goals, Ten Hag said: “We know that we create many chances. It’s about composure and [being] more clinical.

“I think in both boxes, that will be an attention point for us in the coming weeks and months. There we have to improve.”

“We need too many chances [to score]. We saw last week against City and Liverpool, we created so many chances but we have to take them.

“We have enough players with scoring abilities in the team and also in the other box to defend the box; it was too easy.

“Opponents were quite effective against us. Like City and also Liverpool, they didn’t create so many chances, but they took their chances.

“So we have to be more clinical there as well, more aggressive as well, but composed.”

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