Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Ten Hag demands Man Utd ‘work on’ one aspect as Champions League return hopes grow

Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag has explained what Man Utd still have to work on despite putting themselves in a good position to return to Champions League football.

Man Utd strengthened their grip on a top-four place with a 2-0 win over Wolves on Saturday. After Newcastle could only draw with Leeds earlier in the day, Man Utd are now level on points with the third-placed Magpies.

Crucially, they have opened up a four-point gap over Liverpool in fifth, with three games remaining for Ten Hag’s side, as well as Eddie Howe’s and Jurgen Klopp’s.

Anthony Martial – who TEAMtalk understands is up for sale this summer – opened the scoring for Man Utd in the first half. Then, the returning Alejandro Garnacho doubled the scoreline right at the end.

Champions League qualification is now firmly within reach for Man Utd, which would represent significant progress from Ten Hag’s first season in charge – especially taking into account the fact they have already won the Carabao Cup.

After halting a run of two consecutive defeats, Man Utd now have games against Bournemouth, Chelsea and Fulham to prepare for before the FA Cup final against Manchester City.

With things heading in the right direction again, Ten Hag has now highlighted how Man Utd can keep it that way.

Ten Hag reacts to Man Utd win over Wolves

The manager told Sky Sports: “Vital. We had to bounce back after big defeats. We had no energy and played slow [in those games]. Today we had to win and we did it.

“We are very good at making the opponents’ goalkeeper man of the match. We have to be more clinical. We have to work on better conversion.”

Regarding Garnacho’s impact, after the winger got on the scoresheet following an injury absence, Ten Hag added: “He was injured for a couple of weeks. He worked hard. Straight impact.

“We have seen many times this season his impact from the bench.

“Every game is difficult. You have to be ready for every match.”

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