Erik ten Hag was “disappointed” by Manchester United’s “erratic” performance in their 3-1 friendly loss to Wrexham.
With the exception of veteran Jonny Evans in defence, the Dutch coach chose to deploy a young squad for the pre-season match. Everything did not go as planned, as United struggled to block Wrexham’s crosses into the box, allowing Elliot Lee and Aaron Hayden to score twice in the first half. While the Red Devils pulled one back before halftime through Spanish youngster Marc Jurado, Sam Dalby scored the Dragons’ third goal to secure a historic triumph.
WHAT THEY SAID: Ten Hag did not hide his frustration after the match, but believes that the loss is a part of a learning curve for the United youngsters. “We’re disappointed with ourselves,” he told MUTV. “The way we played in the first half was a little bit erratic to the structure. We had some other objective that it was not [just] the result, but with young players, we have to learn from it and I’m sure they will do.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: United’s second-string side came out second best in the physical battle against Wrexham, which Ten Hag hopes will aid their development.
“This is what happens in top football,” the United boss added. “It definitely is [physical] in the Premier League, so our players have to get used to it. You don’t face this in youth football; this is men’s football and it is really good that they have this experience. It’s negative but you learn from it.”
IN TWO PHOTOS:
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WHAT NEXT? Manchester United will field their big guns when they return to action against Real Madrid on Wednesday evening at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
