Erik ten Hag urges struggling Manchester United to be more consistent

LONDON – Consistency is the key word for Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, who is desperate to avoid a third straight home defeat when his side welcome Brentford to Old Trafford in the English Premier League on Saturday.

United supporters have been losing patience with the team’s lacklustre performances, as they head into the clash on the back of a 1-0 league loss to Crystal Palace last weekend, before a 3-2 defeat by Turkish side Galatasaray in the Champions League in midweek.

Ten Hag’s men, on paper, should have won those two home fixtures but they have another chance to set things right in front of their fans against Thomas Frank’s side on Saturday.

When asked on Friday what the issue with his team was, the United boss said: “Consistency. That is the problem we are struggling with. In parts of the games, in big parts, we do a lot of things right, but we also have moments where we struggle and in such moments, we can’t survive.

“We need to do the right things, be consistent and do it like before, we have to step up.”

One reason why United have not been able to be consistent in their play is their lengthy injury list, but ten Hag is refusing to use that as an excuse.

“We’ve had to make changes almost every game and the routine changes. But we need to be on the same page, we need communication in such moments, to be well organised,” he added.

“We’ve spoken about it, how we can improve.”

Rasmus Hojlund, Sofyan Amrabat and Mason Mount have all returned from injuries only recently, while Lisandro Martinez remains out for the long term after undergoing another procedure on his foot – joining Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Amad Diallo and Tyrell Malacia in the treatment room.

Kobbie Mainoo is back in training, but Sergio Reguilon is not yet fully fit after a hamstring issue, meaning that all three United left-backs – including Shaw and Malacia – are injured.

Enduring their worst start to a Premier League season, the Red Devils sit in a lowly 10th place, having amassed only nine points from a possible 21.

Five of United’s last seven matches in all competitions have ended in defeat, including three of their last four in the English top flight.

A fifth league defeat in their eighth match would be unfathomable for a club of their magnitude.

The Guardian reported that ten Hag’s job is safe for now, noting that he is still backed by the club’s hierarchy “for the foreseeable future”.

But the team’s struggles are not entirely his fault, as the Dutchman has had to deal with numerous issues besides their injuries – including the sale of the club being in limbo, off-pitch issues involving Jadon Sancho, Antony and Mason Greenwood, as well as players reportedly lacking mental strength.

Hoping to turn things around on Saturday, ten Hag would have warned his men that United have not lost three successive league games at the Theatre of Dreams since 1979.

The United boss would have noted as well that they lost 4-0 at Brentford in August 2022, but on a positive note, they have also beaten the Bees in their last two home meetings without conceding a goal.

Brentford are themselves struggling in 14th place, having picked up just seven points from seven games. The Bees, who are on a five-match winless run, were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Nottingham Forest last weekend.

Frank’s side did not win a single game in September and also lost to Arsenal in the third round of the League Cup.

Speaking on Friday, he admitted he was wary of one player – his compatriot and United striker Hojlund.

“He’s scoring goals. I know he’s not playing for Brentford, but I’m Danish and I’m happy that a Danish player is coming through and doing well,” he said.

“It was an impressive performance for him against Galatasaray, two very good goals.”

Brentford have no fresh injuries, but Rico Henry, Kevin Schade, Shandon Baptiste, Ben Mee, Mikkel Damsgaard and Josh Dasilva remain on the sidelines.

United players will wear black armbands for the match as former manager Alex Ferguson’s wife Cathy has died aged 84, the family said in a statement on Friday. She is survived by Ferguson, three sons and 12 grandchildren.