Erik ten Hag has warned his players they must ‘step up and improve’ if Manchester United are to have any chance of winning trophies this season.
It took a 91st-minute header to salvage a 3-3 draw in Porto on another chastening night in Europe for Ten Hag, who saw his side race out into a 2-0 lead before collapsing.
A catalogue of individual errors cost United dearly and Maguire later fronted up to the media and conceded that United’s players appear to have a ‘mental issue’ when they concede.
Since Ten Hag joined took charge in 2022, no Premier League club has conceded three or more goals in a match more times in all competitions than Manchester United (24).
Asked by Mail Sport how he is planning to fix the players’ self-confessed mental fragility, Ten Hag accepted urgent improvement is required if he is to add another trophy to the League Cup and FA Cup he has already brought to Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag insisted Manchester United have issues that need be addressed after their 3-3 draw with Porto
United raced into the lead in Portugal thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund
But they were quickly pegged back and found themselves trailing early in the second half
‘What is the mental issue? There is a range, a spectrum, and you have to address it right,’ Ten Hag, who now switches his attention to a huge game on Sunday away to Aston Villa, said.
‘This team has the belief that they don’t give up. So they have that range of mentality and they have a strong mentality. But in some other parts, they have to step up.
‘If you want to win trophies, definitely, in some areas you have to improve.’
The draw with Porto represented another night where patience from supporters is wearing thin for the manager and a number of his players.
Ten Hag goes into Sunday’s game against Aston Villa with the general feeling that his job is in real danger if he cannot replicate the win United managed at Villa Park last season, with an expectation that minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is jetting in to be in attendance.
While many are calling for an urgent uptick in form, Ten Hag once again reiterated that progress, despite being in his third year in charge, is not instantaneous and to expect new players such as £50million Manuel Ugarte, who was dropped to the bench in Porto after a poor display against Tottenham, to hit the ground running is, he claimed, ‘unrealistic’.
‘I know in top football you don’t get time, they have to perform immediately, but that’s not always realistic,’ he said.
Harry Maguire netted a late equaliser after United were reduced to ten men as Bruno Fernandes saw red for a second successive game
Ten Hag added summer signing Manuel Ugarte will need time to ‘adapt’ to the Premier League
‘[Manuel Ugarte] has to get used to our game model, he has to get used to his team-mates, he has to get used to the intensity of the Premier League. So it needs time. We have more positions where we need time.
‘There are more areas where we will improve, definitely, and then this team can grow and improve and then we will see where we will end in the end of the season.’