VILLA SPARK

Ten Hag eyes Boxing Day win to kick-start season

- NEIL MCLEMAN

ERIK TEN HAG has urged his Manchester United flops to beat Aston Villa today to reward their long-suffering fans.

The Old Trafford club have now gone 381 minutes without a goal as they have crashed out of Europe and slipped to eighth in the Premier League on the weekend Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos group assumed control of football operations.

And the Dutchman admitted that his injury-hit side are not meeting the "standard" expected at the 20-time champions after the surrender at West Ham on Saturday lunchtime.

Asked for his message to United fans, Ten Hag said: "I am sure that they are very disappointed and we have to put things right and do things differently.