Ten Hag admitted that Man Utd’s start against Leeds United was “unacceptable”.
Man United head Erik ten Hag was full of praise for Jadon Sancho who snatched the point from the jaws of the defeat against Leeds United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
The Red Devils were struggling against the Whites and were two goals behind. Leeds sacked Jesse Marsch with them languishing around the relegation places. But, we witnessed a different story at Old Trafford.
Wilfried Gnonto fired the ball home from outside the penalty area inside the opening minute to break the deadlock and later, Raphael Varane scored an own goal to make it 2-0.
Marcus Rashford started the comeback process with first goal for United and then, Jadon Sancho came off the bench to equalise with his first goal for Man Utd since returning to the fold.
Speaking post-match, Ten Hag admitted that Man Utd’s start against Leeds United was “unacceptable” as his players were not “ready to battle”.
“Mixed feelings. Of course in the end we were happy to win a point – but we dropped two points,” Ten Hag told reporters.
“It’s a very bad start, unacceptable, especially in a derby you have to be ready to battle and take responsibility. We didn’t do that,”
When asked if Leeds’ quick start surprised his players, Ten Hag added: “It looked like it but not me. [We knew] they will go aggressive, front foot, against a team on a good run they’ll try to get into duels and that’s what they did.
“We created great chances. Garnacho twice. Sabitzer. The header of Raphael. At half-time we had to equalise. If you start the second half the same as the first half you make it really difficult.
“I have to complement the team and resilience to fight back. We made two great team goals.
On bringing Sancho on: “I wanted a different dynamic. At that moment we weren’t in the game. Luckily it succeeded because we scored two goals. Very happy. He’s all the way back. We know he’s a magnificent player. I think consistently he can have a big impact. But he has to work hard. It will motivate him to get more. I really enjoyed it, especially for him. It will strengthen him.
“If you play a derby you need a different attitude. You have to start and be ready and take responsibility, win your battles and be composed on the ball.”
See More:
- Erik ten Hag has grown frustrated with Anthony Martial
- Man United ready to get rid of Anthony Martial this summer
