Erik ten Hag has urged young players at Manchester United to improve quickly, insisting “restrictions” have stunted the progress of his side.
The Red Devils invested heavily during the summer transfer window, signing Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte to bolster Ten Hag’s squad which finished eighth in last season’s Premier League and won the FA Cup.
It’s been another slow to the campaign, however, winning only two of their five league games before being held at home by Twente in their first Europa League outing.
Speaking ahead of United’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Ten Hag admitted inconsistency will be natural due to the amount of young players they have recruited in recent years.
He said: “Where we are now with this squad but all the restrictions we had, we have done good work.
“I understand the impression that many have for Manchester United because the history is so big but we made the choice for younger players and you can’t expect them to be at the level.
“Those are choices we have made and also it has something to do with financials and other restrictions we have to deal with.
“We have to improve them [younger players] and they have to improve themselves and we have to find a team that can be successful on a consistent basis.
Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund have become key players for United at young ages and played key roles in the FA Cup triumph last season, but their league form has been largely patch so far this term.
No Man Utd player has scored more than one league goal in 2024/25, though they’ve only conceded five efforts, the joint-second best in the league, ahead of Tottenham’s visit on Sunday.
