Mizgan Masani
Erik ten Hag wants to take the Fulham games seriously with third place in the league as an incentive
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag wants to take the game against Fulham seriously as he wishes to finish third in the league this season.
After beating Chelsea on Thursday, United confirmed their status as a Champions League club for next season. But, a win over Fulham will guarantee them a top-three finish in the league, something that did not seem possible at the start of this campaign.
Although ten Hag has that in his mind, he must be looking at the FA Cup Final against Manchester City coming up on Saturday. Any player who is not fully fit should not start the Fulham encounter.
Here’s what the Dutchman conveyed about using the Fulham game as preparation for the cup final and the incentive of finishing third in the league (h/t Manchester United website):
“Of course, we prepare for that [the cup final] very well. First, we have to use the game on Sunday as part of our preparation. We want to be third in the league. I think we can achieve a home record, which is another thing to play for. Also, to stay in the rhythm, stay in the focus.
“We have, in one week, a very big game against a very big team but you always have a chance in football. We proved that in January, when we beat them [City].”
After losing the first two league games to Brighton and Brentford, not many would have thought that United will be in a position where a win on the final day can seal the third spot in the table.
That is how good a job ten Hag has done in his first season at the club. He had to deal with the Cristiano Ronaldo situation before the World Cup and had to take the difficult decision of dropping club captain Harry Maguire.
The Dutchman has done all of that with confidence and authority. His tactical work has been splendid too.
While the silverware drought was broken through by beating Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup Final, there is a chance to win a cup double next week.
More Manchester United News
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- Bayer Leverkusen set €50 million price tag on Jeremie Frimpong amidst Manchester United interest
Hence, as ten Hag said in the quote above, he will use the game against Fulham as part of the preparation for the FA Cup Final. The game will be different against City though, but understanding of the roles can be done today.
