Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag hints at new attack involving two players after Sheriff win

Following his team’s 3-0 win over Sheriff on Thursday evening, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag hinted at playing Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo in a two-pronged assault. Both players scored in the win at Old Trafford, with Diogo Dalot also finding the back of the net. And it means that the Red Devils have now won four of their five Europa League games before facing Real Sociedad next week.

 

Manchester United went into the match against Sheriff knowing that a win would increase their chances of winning the Europa League.

 

And, despite having to wait, they scored shortly before halftime through Dalot, who headed home a corner from Christian Eriksen.

 

Things only got simpler from there, with United increasing their lead with second-half goals from Rashford and Ronaldo.

 

And, speaking after the game, Ten Hag stated that he could utilize the pair in a two-pronged assault after being impressed by their performances on the night.

 

“I wanted to see Cristiano and Marcus close together in the No 9 and 10 position in the second half, and I think it can be a trap for opponents,” he remarked.

 

“Defending against such players is always difficult, as we have seen.”

 

“They can profit from one another.” When Bruno [Fernandes] went out, it was also fantastic to see for the right side, and you have a new dynamic on the right as well, so I’ve seen some positive points in this game.”

 

It was a night of atonement for Ronaldo.

 

Last week, the United star made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he refused to play against Tottenham, storming down the tunnel while the game was still going on.

 

The 37-year-old was subsequently dropped for Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea, but after apologizing, he was reinstated to Ten Hag’s starting XI for Sheriff last night.

 

When asked if he was pleased with Ronaldo’s performance, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson replied: “Yes. He persisted, and the team persisted in putting them in the right position.

 

“He continued moving to put himself in the correct places.” He didn’t give up; I believe that is what his entire career has been about; it is why he is so good, and he was rewarded for it in the end.

 

“The pressure is constant. Ronaldo is aware of this, and we must deal with it. All Manchester United players are aware of this.

 

“Every elite scorer needs that confirmation that they can do it every time.” He received his affirmation again again tonight, and he will benefit from it.

 

“He’s starving.” He plays with zeal and tries to score as many goals as possible.

 

“He must invest significantly, and the team must invest significantly to place him in the appropriate situations.””

 

United’s next Europa League match is against Real Sociedad, whom they lost 1-0 earlier in the season.

 

And Ten Hag has lamented the decision to award a penalty against his team during the September encounter, while also urging his players to rise to the occasion.

 

“So we know what we have to accomplish in Real Sociedad: we have to win by two goals,” the 52-year-old added.

 

“We need to score two goals and not concede one.”

 

“We lost the first game due to a bizarre penalty.” So we have to cope with that ridiculous penalty, so we have to turn [it] around, so that requires a huge performance there, a winning attitude, but first, we have Sunday.

 

“That’s more essential; we usually go from game to game, and our attention is now on Sunday and West Ham United.””

 

In the Premier League, the Red Devils face West Ham United on Sunday, a team they defeated twice last season.

 

Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, they triumphed 2-1 at the London Stadium, with Ronaldo and Jesse Lingard scoring.

 

And Rashford scored a late winner in their last meeting in January, which was supervised by interim manager Ralf Rangnick.