Erik ten Hag spoke to the press ahead of Man Utd's crunch game against the old enemy in Liverpool on Sunday.
It's crazy to think that such a game is actually put in the back seat thanks to all the transfer talk but there was hardly any talk about the fixture on Sunday, at least in this part of the presser.
On Sancho, the manager said "As I know, yes" in response to being asked if he expects Jadon Sancho to remain at Old Trafford.
He also said regarding the winger that they "are happy with him" and that squad depth is needed given the high amount of fixtures United will play for the remainder of the season.
ten Hag also spoke about Scott McTominay's departure saying that he is "very happy for him but it's mixed feelings because he would have preferred not to lose him."
"He has Manchester United in his veins."
McTominay's now former manager said that "it's not the right thing to do [to sell McTominay]" but that it is a good deal for all.
ten Hag feels that the Scotsman was important to his team but thanks to the rules, sales have to be done.
Regarding the incoming midfielder Manuel Ugarte, while it hasn't officially been confirmed by the club, the MUFC boss all but confirmed the deal when he said that "we didn't have any more holding midfielder, we had one. So that is the idea behind [signing Ugarte]."
He did then say that while it hasn't been completed yet, "we expect it but I can't confirm."
The manager also said that regarding any more deals, a club like United are always looking for chances to improve the squad.
The manager spoke about Rasmus Hojlund's return being after the international break but that he is unsure when after the break.
Erik ten Hag also talked about how Alan Shearer's comments about Marcus Rashford last week are "stupid" and that he substituted him against Brighton because of rotation. He admits that that rotation can be because of a player performing poorly but that's not the case here.
On Liverpool, ten Hag says that they are "really looking forward to competing with them." On his fellow Dutchman Arne Slot, Erik ten Hag said that "the relationships in that team are very clear and he inherited that from the past." However, he has seen what changes Slot has already made at LFC.
Press conference quotes via The United Stand on X.
Final Thoughts
I mean, I suppose he is going to say that Sancho is part of the team and that options are needed, he's happy with him blah blah blah, but we all know, he wants him gone. I don't doubt that Sancho wants ten Hag gone from the club as well.
Sancho looks like he's headed to Chelsea so why say you're "happy with him" and that "we need depth" then look to move him on?
This is a broken relationship, let's not kid ourselves.
We all know that Manuel Ugarte is ours even if he isn't ours, if you know what I mean. The Uruguayan has been waiting patiently to come to Old Trafford and from the way ten Hag spoke about him, it's clear that he was a target of the Dutchman's for a while.
Saying that we only had one holding midfielder was not enough and that another was needed, indicates to me that he had his eye on a player like Ugarte for some time.
The problem is that the club has failed to register him in time for the weekend's fixtures so Ugarte will NOT be involved at all against Liverpool. We will have to rely on Casemiro to put in a great performance and hope that he doesn't pick up any injury.
That's the risk.
The way he spoke about Scott McTominay as well, sounds like he was ten Hag's adopted son, much like McTominay appeared to be for previous managers.
I've said it many times that I don't rate this player and that he needed to go years ago. The fact that he's managed to stay at United for so long makes no sense to me. The only reasons I can see why he remained at the club for this time is that everyone likes him. You hardly ever hear anything regarding his footballing ability and that all the positive talk about 'Scotty' is that he's a nice guy.
Well, where do nice guys finish?
"It's not the right thing to do." That's what he said regarding Scott McTominay's departure. This makes me feel less confident in our manager if I'm honest. For someone like him who likes to play a certain way, I can't understand why he'd want to keep a player like McTominay who isn't capable of that style.
As for saying that he took Rashford off because it was rotational, that is more crap and contradiction.
Rashford has been shit. For a long time. I'm sure even Rashford himself knows that. Saying that he took him for rotational reasons is a contradiction because there have been other players who needed to be rotated (Kobbie Mainoo in particular) yet he continued to play them.
I'm not sure why ten Hag has such an affection for Rashford when he hasn't been good enough. It just comes off in the wrong way.
Background Image: Arne Slot and Erik ten Hag as managers of Feyenoord and Ajax | Image: 2022 DeFodi Images via Liverpool.com