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UNITED 'WILL LIFT A TROPHY'
The Straits Times
|September 03, 2024
Under-fire ten Hag says he's no magician but will rebuild side with big chance for success
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Erik ten Hag said he is no "Harry Potter" to conjure up quick fixes for Manchester United after a demoralising 3-0 home defeat by Liverpool on Sept 1.
The Dutchman is already under pressure just three games into the new English Premier League season after also losing 2-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion the previous week.
A shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May helped keep him in his job despite eighth place last season United's lowest Premier League finish.
The former Ajax Amsterdam boss was even handed a contract extension and backed with a £200 million (S$343.3 million) outlay on new players during the transfer window.
But hope of a new dawn has not lasted at Old Trafford, as Liverpool strolled to victory in Arne Slot's first major test since replacing Jurgen Klopp.
"It's not like I'm Harry Potter, that is what you have to acknowledge," ten Hag said in his postmatch press conference, in reference to the young wizard from J.K. Rowling's fantasy novels.
"We just had a third game in the season, again we have to build a new team.
"We will build this new team, we have young players, also we have now players to build in the season.
Today we had two or three players that didn't start of the season and they didn't play 90 minutes.
This story is from the September 03, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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