Erik ten Hag makes bold ‘winners and losers’ statement about two Man United players

Erik ten Hag has suggested that Casemiro and Raphael Varane’s history of winning was influential in Manchester United’s first trophy in six years.

Lifting the Carabao Cup at Wembley was an important moment in the first season of management at United for Ten Hag.

It has given certain members of the squad confidence that they are capable of winning silverware, however, others collect trophies with ease.

Raphael Varane and Casemiro are two of the most decorated players in Europe after their successful spells at Real Madrid. They’ve been around the block and they know what it takes to win.

Ten Hag believes that this is key for his side, stating that there are certain players that know how to win and others that don’t.

“You see all the cups he won and that’s not [a] coincidence,” said Ten Hag when asked about the Brazilian midfielder. “Like Rapha Varane and Casemiro, they won five Champions Leagues. That’s not a coincidence, it’s not like all of a sudden.

“For me it’s always the same. You have players who win, and win always, and players who lose and always lose.

“Of course, you have to do your research and find that type who will win and who are cooperative in the dressing room to be humble but when they are on the pitch they take responsibility and you can sit on the bench and you are composed, because you know the players will do the job and will deal with the situation and will bring you the wins.”

The United manager has been successful in both of the transfer markets during his time at Old Trafford so far. Despite being left to deal with loans in January, the acquisitions of Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer have both been very useful to the team.

In the summer, the likes of Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Antony and Lisandro Martinez strengthened the ceiling of the team, whilst Tyrell Malacia joined as an incredibly useful depth option and has helped get the best from Luke Shaw.

All of these players have one thing in common. Their mentalities. Ten Hag has stressed the importance of finding the right person, as well as the right player when looking in the transfer market.

“I think when you go to recruitment in the summer, we were looking for players with character, with personality and it was not only about signing a player – there are a lot of players in the world that have great skills.

“So technical approach or they can run really fast. But we are looking for players who have character. Players who have personality, who have leadership, who take responsibility, who are resilient. So that was the type of players I was looking for after I made the analysis of the squad.”