Manchester United head coach Erik Ten Hag wants to take one game at a time at the fag end of the season. United are still alive in three competitions and the Dutchman wants his team to be at their absolute best at this crucial stage.
The Red Devils defeated Nottingham Forest by 2-0 at the City Ground and this win helped them take the third spot in the points table of the Premier League.
“We approach this game by game, what can we do?” Ten Hag said after Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest. “We have to win. We are United, we have to win every game.”
United recently played a 2-2 draw against Sevilla in the first leg quarterfinal of the Europa League and they will travel to Sevilla for the second leg on Thursday. The Old Trafford-based club will also face take on Brighton in the semifinals of the FA Cup at Wembley.
“The points are getting more expensive at this period of the season, because they are all finals, they are really battling against relegation, they are giving their lives and this is every opponent, or they go for the top, so you have to really fight and battle for every point,” Ten Hag said.
Manchester United’s injury woes have manifolded as forward Marcus Rashford and defenders Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are out due to injury. Furthermore, they lost midfielder Marcel Sabitzer on Sunday when he injured his groin in the warm-up.
“Sabitzer came off in the warm-up, he felt something,” the manager said. “We decided not to take the risk, we will find out [Monday] what it is. But when you have [Christian] Eriksen on the bench, it is definitely not a disadvantage.
“Last week I had nine fit top defenders, now I have four,” Ten Hag added. “We need all our players, we are still in three competitions, we need all the players to form a top team.”
Diogo Dalot, who scored against Nottm Forest, added the upcoming week is crucial for them.
“Two decisive games, we want to be in a position to fight for trophies,” Dalot said. “Now we have a chance to get close to a final and to get to a final. Hopefully, we win both games.”
