Ten Hag tells wasteful Man Utd stars to ‘kill’ after ‘important’ change wins game vs Fulham
Erik ten Hag had only one piece of criticism for his Man Utd players after their opening-day victory over Marco Silva’s Fulham.
Man Utd kicked off the campaign with a 1-0 victory over the Cottagers, with summer signing Joshua Zirkzee scoring the winner with three minutes remaining.
Speaking after his side began the season with three points, Red Devils boss Ten Hag emphasised the importance of substitutions after Zirkzee came off the bench to score on his Premier League debut.
“Scoring for a striker is important and he should be where he was, but he has more qualities and he has to get the right balance – he has to be arriving in the box to get the finishes, but we also want him to link up,” the Dutchman said.
“We have some great midfielders around him to make up combinations.
“First game, but it is good to strengthen the belief. I have seen many spaces where we have to improve but that is normal.
“Subs are always important and it was good to see in the first game that you bring a sub on and he scores the winner.
“Everyone sees how important subs are and they have to be ready.
“Against Fulham it is always a difficult game, but we defended and pressed very well. After 10 minutes we found our spell in the game and we kept them under pressure. We created a lot of chances and we should have scored earlier and that is the only criticism of the team – kill in the box.
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“Two season ago [we had] the most clean sheets in the Premier League. When we have a consistent back four we will defend properly. If you don’t have a consistent back four the gaps will come.
“I know Noussair Mazraoui like this. He is a great defender, but he is very composed on the ball – he is not in full condition, when he gets 100% fitness he can do much more. He has to build his fitness.”
Ten Hag also confirmed that Harry Maguire came off due to a “problem” and not an injury.
He said: “Not injured, but I had to bring him off as he had a problem.
“The win is so important, but I am so happy to have no injuries today.”
Zirkzee spoke to the media after the match, saying that his time at the club so far has been “good vibes”.
“To win here in my first home game and to grab a goal, it couldn’t be better,” he said.
“I’ve been told [scoring at the Stretford End] is one of the best feelings at Man Utd. I’m so thankful and blessed I could experience it in my first game. It’s an amazing feeling.
“At the end of the day we got the win, that’s all we wanted. I can’t really explain the feeling, it’s just very nice.
“I feel very warm here. It’s a great team. We want to achieve something great. It’s been amazing, it’s been a dream actually.
“The manager told me to bring an energy and help the team as much as possible, just that.
“Manchester United is a huge club. You should always strive for the best. That includes day by day giving 100%, that’s the plan. It’s all good vibes.”
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Meanwhile, Lisandro Martinez said: “I think the performance was OK. The win is very pleasing, To start the season with a win is always important.
“We are not ready as a squad, as a team, many players are not up to full fitness. We only had 10 days with this team training together.
“I expect more from this team, but we have a foundation we can build on.
“The performance is good, over 90 minutes of course there is room for improvement. But I think all over the performance and execution of the game plan was very good.”
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