Erik ten Hag has called on Manchester United to ‘fight’ for points across the run-in as the club look to secure Champions League qualification.
United are fourth in the Premier League table and strengthened their position inside the Champions League places with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa last weekend. The Red Devils take on another European hopeful on Thursday evening as Ten Hag’s team travel to face Brighton.
United have made encouraging progress during Ten Hag’s first season in charge, having reached both domestic cup finals – winning the League Cup in February to end a six-year wait for silverware – in addition to their push for a top four finish.
Ten Hag is refusing to assess his side’s season until the end of the campaign however, and has called on United to ‘fight’ for results and confirm their place in next season’s Champions League.
“I don’t want to talk during the season of being proud or satisfied. Satisfaction can lead to laziness, we have six games to go and we want to win every game. You need full focus, full energy and full preparation,” he told his pre-match press conference.
“It’s going to be a fight and we have to get ready for the fight to get the points. We want to win every game, we want to win every competition. It’s clear we want to be in the Champions League and that’s the competition we’re now fighting for and now it’s the only thing we’re fighting for because the FA Cup final is after the [Premier League] season is over. So now what we have to do is get this done.
“I never speak about whether it’s positive or negative. But good isn’t good enough, we have to do better.”
