Ten Hag claims ‘confident’ Man Utd no longer ‘scared’ of Anfield; gives four injury updates ahead of Liverpool
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag admits the Red Devils were “scared” last time they faced Liverpool at Anfield but insists they are now “confident” of going to Merseyside and getting a result.
Man Utd lost 7-0 at Anfield last season as arch-rivals Liverpool ran riot in the second half of a Premier League match in March, scoring six second-half goals.
The Red Devils, who are back at Anfield this weekend, ended up finishing above the Reds last term, despite that result, with Ten Hag leading them to third place in his first campaign.
However, the season is not going to plan this season with Man Utd currently sixth in the table, while Sunday’s opponents Liverpool are riding high at the summit.
When asked whether he was worried about history repeating itself against Liverpool on Sunday, Ten Hag told reporters at a pre-match press conference: “No [not worried]. We will put out a team that can challenge and we’ll prepare them in the best way we can. We are confident we can put out a team that can win.”
Ten Hag added: “I haven’t seen last season we were scared there. It was a bad experience, but it’s not similar, you start again. Last year, the first half we played very decent and we got hammered just after half-time, then we collapsed.
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“That can’t happen but it’s last year, it’s a different team and different players for a part at least. We won’t ignore it, but we’ll be confident and we have to fight, challenge and go there with the idea, to prepare to win.
“Everyone is highly motivated when you go to Anfield, it’s a great place to go. You know it’s going to be tough and what every top footballer wants is that challenge. You have to look forward and last year, we take that in our memory, but you have to take the benefit and learn from it. On Sunday, we can prove that.”
When asked whether he is envious of Liverpool, he replied: “They’re playing good, no doubt, but we have some more tough games in the last period. Bayern are a very good team, so we have seen we can go head-to-head with them. That is our challenge for Sunday as well.”
Ten Hag also had some team news ahead of the match with Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford set to be available for Man Utd against Liverpool but Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire will miss out.
Ten Hag continued: “Harry: he will not be available for the coming games but don’t think it’s long-term,” Ten Hag said. “Luke Shaw: trained this morning. We think he’s available for Sunday.”
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