Erik ten Hag has backed the Manchester United supporters who displayed a “Play Like You Mean It” banner during the Premier League game at Fulham on Saturday, saying the club’s players can “always be better.”
United won 1-0 at Craven Cottage following a stoppage time goal from captain Bruno Fernandes. The victory came after two successive 3-0 home defeats against Manchester City and Newcastle that left Ten Hag under increasing pressure at Old Trafford.
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Despite a dismal start to the season which has seen United lose eight games in all competitions, the club’s supporters have directed their frustrations at under-performing players rather than at former Ajax coach Ten Hag.
And speaking in Denmark ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League Group A clash against FC Copenhagen, Ten Hag said that his players had a duty to meet the standards demanded by the fans who produced the banner.
“The players made their efforts but there can always be more,” Ten Hag said. “We expect the highest standards at Manchester United when you are a player, staff [member] or manager.
“Our fans expect high standards. They expect that you win every game. And when you’re not playing well, you still have to win.”
United face Copenhagen having revived their hopes of qualification for the knockout stages with a 3-2 win against the Danish champions at Old Trafford following defeats in their opening fixtures against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
A win in Parken Stadium, combined with a Galatasaray defeat in Munich on match day four, would take United into second spot ahead of a potentially-decisive game against the Turkish champions in Istanbul later this month.
And despite their poor results and performance so far this season, Ten Hag says United are still able to be competitive in the major competitions.
“We don’t play well but we are in a position we are not too far away and we can compete for everything,” Ten Hag said.
“I am happy with that but we want to play better. That’s absolutely our target.”