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Manchester United’s attention will now turn to the Europa League where they open their campaign with a game against Erik ten Hag’s former club FC Twente on Wednesday.
The Dutchman openly professed his love for the Dutch club where he played in three separate spells as a player and also began his managerial career.
As a mark of respect, he even agreed to prepone his press conference to aid the Dutch journalists gathered in Manchester to cover the game.
But there will be no room for sentiment once the game kicks-off and he will need his team to put up a show after a disappointing start to the new campaign which has left the club stranded outside the top-10 in the Premier League.
FC Twente are no pushovers
Even though the Red Devils look a lot better as compared to last season, familiar issues remain and they have suffered defeats to Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton so far.
In the previous term, most teams cut through the 20-time English league champions with ease and FC Twente manager Joseph Oosting has plans to exploit the same weakness at Old Trafford.
They are no pushovers, having finished third in the Dutch league last season, ahead of heavyweights Ajax and AZ Alkmaar. And with United expected to rotate, they are fancying their chances as per the coach’s comments.
And they come into the game on the back of a 5-0 demolition of Almere which places them fourth in the current edition of the Eredivisie.
Oosting maintained that his side are massive underdogs heading into the tie but he has instructed his players to give it their all and not hold back.
FC Twente have plans of their own
“I always believe in opportunities. If we dare to play, we can also create opportunities. Especially in the transition, we can hurt Manchester,” Oosting said during the pre-match press conference.
“That is easier said than done but the will is definitely there. We played games against Red Bull [Salzburg] that you learn from. Everything goes at the highest tempo, whether it is on the ball or in defence.
“You have to be top in everything and we need everyone to be there. I think we have also made progress in that. We have respect for Manchester United, but we also have the full conviction and the will to get the most out of the game.”
With huge Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa up next for United, Ten Hag needs to get a win under his belt to quieten the rumours swirling around his position at the moment.
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2024-09-25 16:30:17
