Erik Ten Hag Focuses On Strengthening The Depth Of Manchester United Squad For The 2024/2025 Season

Manchester United (MU) coach, Erik ten Hag, (photo: x @mnutd)

JAKARTA - Manchester United (MU) coach, Erik ten Hag, stated that he only wanted to strengthen his team as strong as possible to face the 2024/2025 season. This was revealed when asked about additional transfers of players after signing Joshua Zirkzie and Leny Yoro.

"I just want the squad to be as strong as possible. We've made two very good purchases, so when everyone is fit, we have a team that can beat everyone, but also in terms of squad depth, we have to catch up," Ten Hag said, quoted from the club's official website, Saturday, July 27.

Ten Hag felt his team really needed squad depth to navigate four competitions, namely the English League, Europa League, FA Cup, and League Cup next season. He stressed the importance of avoiding last season's events, where his team only finished eighth in the league and was eliminated in the Champions League group stage due to the number of injured players.

"We know that because we have suffered injuries and we are vulnerable and we must avoid this by first reducing injuries, reducing injuries," said the former Ajax Amsterdam coach.

"And second, our squad must have a good depth. Of course, we have quality, but in depth, now we have to catch up and even more because this season it will be a survival of the fittest," he continued.

Furthermore, Ten Hag also talked about the sharpness of one of his strikers, Marcus Rashford, who will return next season after he signed the club legend, Ruud van Nistelrooy, as his assistant.

That's the reason why he (Van Nistelrooy) is here, but not just for strikers. He's more than this. But Rashford could only prove himself and was able to do it. He has scored so many goals at a relatively young age. So, he was able to do it," he explained.

The Red Devils will return to their pre-season match against Arsenal at SoFi Stadium, California, United States, Sunday, July 28 at 07.00 WIB.