Erik ten Hag is “ignoring” Liverpool in Premier League top-four race

Erik ten Hag has said he can ignore Liverpool’s good form of late in the race for the top four spots in the Premier League.

Manchester United, after dropping eight points across their last five Premier League fixtures, have dragged themselves into a top-four race for Champions League places.

With Champions League qualification seemingly in the bag for Erik ten Hag‘s Reds, dropped points against Tottenham, Brighton, and West Ham have landed the side just one point inside the Premier League top four.

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Just outside the top four are Liverpool in fifth, who have played an extra fixture than United.

Liverpool, after a disastrous start to the season, have quietly climbed their way back into contention for the Champions League places, having won their last six league fixtures in a row – although Erik ten Hag says this is not a problem for his side.

When asked on if he is worried about Liverpool threatening United’s top four spot, he said he is “ignoring” the Merseyside club, and instead just focusing on United.

Of course I can ignore that,” he explained on Friday afternoon. “It’s not important, we have everything in our hands and as long as we have everything in our hands we are not dependent on them.”

He continued, adding: “It’s clear, we know that, but it’s not important because we have everything in our hands. We must bring our performance, then it’s not important.

“What is important is the opponent we face tomorrow: Wolves. We have to take them seriously. They have done a great job, focus on that but they also have deficits, take advantage of that.”

Ten Hag also confirmed that Alejandro Garnacho is set to play a defining role for the rest of the season due to a leg injury that Marcus Rashford has suffered.

He has one more week training, definitely [he can play against Wolves],” said the manager.

“Yeah, so he is available and we have seen he can bring something extra in the team.”

Manchester United are due to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon at Old Trafford.