Erik ten Hag has spoken on a number of the Manchester United players in a pre-match press conference ahead of the club’s second pre-season fixture in Melbourne.
The club are due to play Melbourne Victory tomorrow, with the fixture kicking off at 11:05 BST.
As with every fixture, Ten Hag fielded a press conference with those following the pre-season tour, with many questions on the performances of his players and how encouraging he found them; as well as any updates on those who did not feature, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire.
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With the Manchester United captain unavailable for the match against Liverpool due to a minor injury, the Dutchman was quizzed on the Englishman’s fitness
"Yes, tomorrow he is available,” confirmed Ten Hag. “We will see but I think he can play half a game."
Another very positive performance came in the form of Manchester United academy midfielder Zidane Iqbal.
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Aptly named, Iqbal’s performance gave a lot of fans watching a lot of hope, with one particular body-feint to rid the press of Liverpool’s Fabinho a highlight within the 4-0 victory.
Speaking of the young players, Ten Hag mentioned: "I have said it before, Manchester United has huge potential.
“Really good players, experienced players but also a lot of young guys, young boys who have a lot of potential. We have to get the potential out so now we have to work really hard.
“Man United is famous about it and Marcus Rashford here is I think a symbol of the Academy of Manchester United and more upcoming talents who come after."
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A player who struggled at points after his £75 million move to Old Trafford, Jadon Sancho returned to our screams with much needed determination and hunger.
A lot of debate around the player has centred itself on where his best position actually is. Playing on both wings, he looked more comfortable on the left hand side last season, however he performed excellently on the right against Liverpool.
When asked if he is looking to deploy Sancho on the right hand side this season considering how comfortable he looked on the ball there, Ten Hag replied, "I was really happy to see that.
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“I think we have a good left side but I think you see against Liverpool that we also have attacks on the right side and it was good to see it because you want to have balance.
“If you are only on one side it is quite predictable so we want that to develop over two sides but also in the middle and from everywhere."
Another who impressed with his performance is Eric Bailly. It was his galloping run from defence to attack that led to Pellistri’s goal in the second half against Liverpool, and in general his performance was lauded by the fans.
“Does Eric Bailly's performance against Liverpool give you a selection headache?” was the question posed to the manager.
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"No, it doesn't give me a headache,” he replied. “I am happy.
“We need a full squad for the coming season with a lot of games. In the middle there's a World Cup so we need a really full squad with a lot of competition between the players so we push each other to a higher level."
Finally, the ever-mentioned topic of Cristiano Ronaldo came to light, with the press pushing for an update.
"We made a statement and nothing has changed,” was Erik ten Hag’s short and sweet reply.
Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Eric Bailly, Jadon Sancho, Zidane Iqbal, Harry Maguire, Cristiano Ronaldo, Football
Dylan Penketh