Ten Hag says reaction to Man Utd FA Cup win a 'disgrace'
Erik ten Hag says the media reaction to Manchester United's
performance in the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry was "a
disgrace", robustly defending his side's achievement in reaching a second
straight final.
United surrendered a 3-0 lead at Wembley on Sunday and were
saved from a humiliating exit in extra time only by a VAR intervention, which
ruled out a goal for offside in the final moments.
They eventually scraped through against the Championship
side on penalties to set up a re-match of last year's final against City.
Ten Hag admitted after the match his team had "got away
with it" but played down any notion of embarrassment.
But he has been widely criticised, adding to speculation he
is on borrowed time at Old Trafford.
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton said the performance
would "cement his sacking".
But Ten Hag was in defiant mood on the eve of United's
Premier League match against bottom side Sheffield United on Wednesday.
"You asked the question: 'Is it embarrassing?' No, the
reaction from you was embarrassing," he told reporters on Tuesday.
"It is the comments. Top football is about results. We
made it to a final and we deserved it not only by this game but also the other
games.
"We lost control for 20 minutes, we also had bad luck,
3-2, 3-3. We were very lucky in the end, it is clear. Penalties was very good
and we made it to the final, it is a huge achievement. Twice, in two years, is
magnificent. For me as a manager, four cup finals in four years.
United, winless in their past four Premier League games, are
in danger of missing out on a European spot next season after a poor campaign.
They are already realistically out of the race to qualify
for the lucrative Champions League but still have the Europa League and the
Europa Conference League to aim for.
"We have to win every game, we know that," said
Ten Hag. "That's what United stands for and that is our approach, go from
game to game but we have to qualify for Europe and we now have two
opportunities -- in the league and the FA Cup final."
Ten Hag said he would work closely with newly appointed
technical director Jason Wilcox to determine the future direction of the club.
Wilcox, 53, has left second-tier Southampton to take up the
job at Old Trafford with immediate effect.
"We have to form a partnership, which is very
important," said Ten Hag. "We are a little bit behind in the process
so we have to catch up and we will go and speed up the process."
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