Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was impressed with his side’s vigour and determination in their 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano.
The Red Devils played their first game at Old Trafford and their last pre-season fixture ahead of next week’s Premier League opener and came up with a feisty 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who missed United’s summer tour started the game, but was substituted at half-time, and was pictured leaving the stadium before the full time whistle blew.
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Overall, Ten Hag praised his side’s efforts throughout the game.
He particularly pointed out the fact that despite some players taking the field for the first time, they were positive in their intent to play attacking football.
Talking about whether he is happy with his team’s overall performance in the game, Ten Hag told Manchester United’s official website, “Overall, definitely. We had a good pre-season, we made good progress. I know there is still a lot of room for improvement and we have to improve. It's a process for next week and we go again.”
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Manchester United youngsters put on a great show for fans at Old Trafford and players like Ethan Laird, James Garner, Alejandro Garnacho, Shola Shoretire, Amad Diallo, Hannibal Mejbri and Zidane Iqbal all gave their 100% to the team’s cause.
Speaking about youngsters who played for the first time in the first team, Ten Hag said, “Some guys took the field for the first time for the first team and you could see their intention to work together as a team. We created a lot of chances and yes, we did concede some chances.”
Ten Hag then reserved praise for Alejandro Garnacho and said, “All young players who deserve a chance, we will give a chance and Garnacho is one of those players.”
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Moving on to his thoughts on new signing Lisandro Martinez and how he fit in well with Raphael Varane, Ten Hag said, “I think it was a real good combo with Varane and they played really solid. I think he can integrate well into the team.”
Fans at Old Trafford as usual were at their very best, cheering on the Red Devils, truly as the team’s 12th man and Ten Hag ensured he took note of the same.
On being asked what he felt about the fan reception at Old Trafford and the support in general, Ten Hag said, “Ah, fantastic. You feel the vibe in the stadium, you feel the vibe what they send to the team and we were emotional on the pitch.”
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Moving on to the final question of his post-match interview, Ten Hag was asked about the inclusion of former Premier League striker Benny McCarthy in his coaching staff and the Dutch coach praised his integration.
“In our coaching staff, what I want to fill in, was someone with a different voice, he is experienced, he was a player in the Premier League, then a manager and he knows attacking intent very well. That is really important for our integration”, Ten Hag concluded.
This draw meant Manchester United ended their pre-season with three wins, two draws and a defeat from six games, plus a 4-1 win over Wrexham behind closed doors.
With youngsters like Zidane Iqbal and Alejandro Garnacho looking ready to usher in a new era at Old Trafford, it is going to be an exciting beginning for Manchester United in the 2022-23 season of the Premier League.
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Manchester United will now prepare for their Premier League curtain raiser against Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford next Sunday.
The Red Devils will then face Brentford away before hosting arch-rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on 23 August.
Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Lisandro Martinez, Alejandro Garnacho, Zidane Iqbal, Amad Diallo
Mudeet Arora