Erik ten Hag expresses anger after Manchester United loses in their first pre-season match.

Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, did not hold back in his criticism of his team following their 1-0 defeat to Rosenborg in a pre-season match in Norway. The game appeared to be heading for a goalless draw until Noah Holm scored in stoppage time to secure a memorable victory for Rosenborg.

Despite fielding a youthful starting XI, which included regular first-team players such as Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jonny Evans, Casemiro, Mason Mount, and Marcus Rashford, Ten Hag expressed his disappointment with the performance. He acknowledged that his players are still lacking match fitness but insisted that their display fell well below the standards expected at a top football club.

Speaking to MUTV, Ten Hag stated, “We can discuss and rectify everything that went wrong, but that’s not my style. I have observed that this level of performance is not acceptable in top football. As an individual, you must ensure that you are fit. I understand that match fitness cannot be achieved at this moment, so we need these games to reach that level.”

He continued, “I am aware that we are playing against opponents who are already in their league season and possess a higher level of fitness. However, we are Manchester United, and players representing this club should perform better.”

Although Ethan Wheatley and Ethan Ennis came close to scoring for United, Ten Hag lamented the team’s inability to replicate their training ground attitude in a match situation. He praised the willingness of his young players to listen and learn during training but expressed disappointment that they failed to translate that onto the pitch.

“That’s what I expect from United players, and it’s evident that they are receptive and eager to implement it,” Ten Hag remarked. “However, it didn’t work out today. The attitude is always present during coaching sessions, but it was clear today that they couldn’t transfer it to the match.”

Last season, Ten Hag’s side finished eighth in the Premier League with 14 defeats on their record. He emphasized the importance of adopting a winning mentality and urged his players to avoid losing games.

“The result is not of secondary importance,” he emphasized. “Although this is pre-season, at Manchester United, the standard is to win games and certainly not to lose them. If you can’t win, then don’t lose. Unfortunately, we did lose in the end, in the dying seconds of the game. The performance is crucial, but we know it fell below the expected standard.”

Next up for United is a pre-season encounter against Scottish side Rangers at Murrayfield on July 20.