Every word from Erik ten Hag ahead of Man United’s FA Cup clash vs Reading

Erik ten Hag spoke to the media on Friday afternoon ahead of Manchester United’s FA Cup clash against Reading on Saturday evening.

United will be searching for another victory against the Championship side as they look favourites to reach the fifth round of the competition. They’re also likely to progress into the final of the Carabao Cup after their 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their semi-final bout.

There is expected rotation on the weekend and Ten Hag was also quizzed on the likelihood of any loan departures before the January window ends, among other topics.

Will complacency be a problem, as United should easily win on paper? “But that’s on paper, football is never decided on paper. So, we have to be ready for every game, every opponent will be tough and especially in the cup. For them, it’s a perfect chance, we have to be aware of that. So, we will be [on the front foot], fully focused and full of energy.”

How difficult is it to prioritise top four or a trophy? “We want to win every game so we plan [for] every game fully. The next game is always the most important game, so that’s tomorrow, Reading.”

Any issues with team selection? “We always have issues, but I think tomorrow, we have a strong selection for this game. We have a good squad, we have depth in the squad, so we can cover things.”

Will Jadon Sancho be involved? “He is training with the team and we will see. He is improving, he is making steps, we will make the decision after the training. He’s on the way back, he’s making steps, so he’s back in team training and now we have to see when he is ready to go back into the games.”

What is the latest on Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw? “Dalot definitely out, I think also Shaw [is] a question mark, so we have to see after this training, after this day if he is available or not.”

Will there be youngsters going out on loan? “We have our ideas and for some players we are open for loans but some players we are not because I think they have to develop first in our environment and second, we have many games to cover, and so we need players to cover that. When you play in 30 days 10 games, you need a lot of players.”

How about Facundo Pellistri? “The way we put [players] on, on Wednesday, Pellistri, that’s already a signal.”

And Zidane Iqbal or Brandon Williams? “I think that also counts for Zidane, definitely also for Brandon. He had a bad injury, he’s on the way back, he was in the pre-season for the restart and now he’s in the squad. He was also in the selection for last Wednesday at Forest so he’s really a part of it. It’s also a little bit up to him but I like him. We have to work with him and see where his developments can go. That is also about him, to find the moment where he can deserve his chance and take his chance. But when he wants a loan, we have to talk about that.”

Are Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Tyrell Malacia getting enough credit for their performances when stepping in for Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw? “I think Aaron and Ty, they play magnificent in this moment. On Wednesday, they were really brilliant. The whole back four was brilliant on Wednesday. We are happy in the back four, we have depth in the squad. That’s what we need when you have to cover 10 games in 30 days and hopefully, it will continue after that as well.”

What has happened with Marcus Rashford? Can you tell us what you have done with him? What have you done and said to him specifically? “I am not Harry Potter. Confidence [is important] and every player has to make and get his own confidence. He fights for this and he invests in this. With me and my coaching staff, we bring structures and especially with the way of play. That gives him some routines what he needed to get into the right position, but finally it was up to him. If the player has confidence and he is confidence in the way we are working, the environment and the culture are also important. The player can then perform at his best. Marcus is obviously performing at his best at this moment and he is in really good shape, from day-to-day, game-to-game, training-to-training, more and more routines are coming in. I think the frontline also now gives me a positive feeling that they are getting stronger. That gives me the feeling that they can all benefit from each other. In the first part of the season we had many problems in the frontline and we often had games where we didn’t even have players who were 100 per cent physically and mentally fit. Now I think it is much more that case and Marcus can now take much more benefit from certain situations.”

We are at the halfway stage of the season, your first season, and you are still fighting on four fronts. Are you ahead of schedule? “That’s good. That’s why we need all the players we have here in the squad. To develop them but especially to get the right results out of it. We want to stay in those games and leagues, cups as long as possible and we have to fight for it. I think that is good for the development of the club, if we are ahead or not in the process I don’t know but what we do is every day, we have to give our maximum. Every day we have to approach it and say good is not good enough and we have to do better. This is so that we keep going in the progress, and then the progress it is about that and it will never end. We have to approach it like that and if we are ahead or not in the process it is not that important and it is where we are now and we want to win every game, no matter the opponent.”

I think you mentioned it there, 10 games in 30 days, its a crazy schedule. How much strain does that put on the players mentally and physically? Do you feel you have the squad to cope with that? “It’s tough, but it is always I feel better to have more games than we have training. Players like to have more games than they train. We are looking forward and I think they have a good spirit and good mood in this dressing room to cope with that.”

Harry Maguire was suspended for the game other night, and we have seen Luke Shaw play very well at centre-back in the derby. You also have Victor Lindelof there too. Is it a fair question to ask whether he is now fifth choice under you? How big is it to manage Harry as Manchester United captain? “No he is not fifth choice but I have to say it is up to him. He is training very well, he brings quality and that is what I expect from all the players in the squad. He has to fight for his position in the squad. Things can change and they can also do so sometimes really quickly. He is making progress and I think it is up to him.”

Very politely you very rarely pick him, so what does that say, the facts are there? “That is not completely true.”

In big games derbies, Premier League, he never really gets a start? “That is not true. After the World Cup, he should have played but he got ill. There is nothing I can do about that. He knows that and then you come in [during a good] run, and he has to wait for his chance. They are the laws of top-level football and selection. Then you have to wait for your chance and in the meantime you have to work well to prove the chance is there.”

It looks like before the end of January there are unlikely to be anymore signings. Do you know which areas in the summer you would like to strengthen? “I have an idea. But in the coming days, If I had the opportunity in the comings days [to strengthen], then I would go for it but this is not only up to me. I think at this club, everyday, that has to be the approach. You have to get better and if they are opportunities to get better you have to strike. That is my approach and I am looking, I am looking around with research and I have an idea with the profiles and what profiles we need to strengthen this squad.”

Phil Jones’s contract is up at the end of the season, has there already been a decision that he will be released at the end of the season? “There has not been a decision take about that, for the summer. The whole season he has been injured.”

Is there any chance he plays again this season? “I can’t say. What I can say is he is not available for training and hasn’t been since the first day of training this season. Then, the opportunity that you recovery quickly also goes.”

Did you have to convince Marcus Rashford how much of a good player he could become again? I’m sure when you arrived you knew how great of a player he could be? “I said this to him, yes. But this a question you are better suited to giving to him.”

Has Benni McCarthy been a big influence to Marcus and the other strikers on the pitch? “We also made a construction of the staff, so that all positions are covered. We need different types in the squad from a tactical approach, but also human beings and personality approach. We had to get it right to get the right set-up in our staff. As far as I can see I am really happy with the coaching staff I have here at Manchester United.”