Man Utd resume Premier League campaign in fifth place, three points outside the top four with a game in hand on fourth-placed Tottenham; Nottingham Forest up next for Erik ten Hag's side on December 27
Saturday 24 December 2022 08:37, UK
Erik ten Hag hopes his meticulous planning throughout the World Cup break will ensure Manchester United remain on track for a top-four finish and silverware.
United, who ended a 38-day absence from competitive action in Wednesday's 2-0 Carabao Cup fourth-round victory over Burnley, resume their Premier League campaign against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on December 27.
Fifth-place United sit three points outside the top four ahead of the resumption and Ten Hag has left no stoned unturned as he prepares to mastermind a drive into the Champions League qualification places before the season ends.
Asked if the mid-season break was tough, Ten Hag said: "It is. We had a plan on how to do it, how to manage the load on the players.
"It's all individual-based, no one is the same, no one had the same programme or minutes, and they play in different positions and are different ages. We tried to give everyone a plan, but we all know the restart is five or six days after the World Cup final.
"The Premier League resumes really quickly so everyone has to be ready for that, the manager, coaching staff and players have to accept that.
"We want trophies, we want to have a strong team to battle for trophies. We have to adapt, do it smart, and hopefully, we can perform and get the right results."
United's progress in the Carabao Cup has strengthened Ten Hag's hopes of ending the club's wait for a first trophy since 2017.
Resuming their Premier League campaign with a victory against Nottingham Forest holds equal significance, with a top-four finish needed to arrest their one-season Champions League hiatus.
The significance of such achievements, particularly for a Manchester United manager, is not lost on Ten Hag, who is braced for the battle ahead.
"We are aware the competition is tough, but it counts for all the seven, eight clubs fighting for the top four," the Dutchman said.
"For all those that watch the Premier League, it is great because it will be exciting. You have to battle for every duel to get your points.
"I am looking at the process, how we are performing - we have to get results - but if we make the right progress, we have a good chance to get into the top four.
"I accept it [the pressure] how it is. But also, for the manager of Chelsea, Newcastle United, all those clubs invested a lot in their squads as well.
"For every manager, it is big pressure to get into the Champions League. You want to be in top four, you want to fight for trophies. That is our aim, that is clear."
Ten Hag was unable to confirm whether defenders Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane would be available for Monday's game against Nottingham Forest.
Martinez was part of the Argentina squad which lifted the World Cup in Qatar at the expense of Varane's France team.
"I cannot answer that," Ten Hag replied when asked about Martinez's availability. "He is still celebrating in Argentina! He's on a bus going around Buenos Aires!
"I can understand the emotions when you achieve this for your country, it's magnificent, the highest you can achieve. But Licha Martinez also has to accept that on December 27, the Premier League will go on."
On Varane, Ten Hag added: "He is, of course, disappointed about losing the final, but he can be proud that he was in the final again. With all that he has achieved in his football career, it was a massive performance.
"When you win so many trophies [like he has], this time he was second, but he can be so proud because getting to the final was a big achievement because the level of the nations was very close."
Ten Hag does not expect to have Jadon Sancho to call upon against Forest. The 22-year-old England international undertook an individual training programme during the World Cup and is not believed to have returned to the club's Carrington training complex yet.
