Manchester United's manager has stated he is never worried when it comes to making decisions regarding the team.
Manchester United are heading to the same fixture in which Erik Ten Hag made one of his biggest decisions after taking over as manager at Man United. The 53-year-old dropped team captain Harry Maguire and club icon Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench when they played Liverpool at Old Trafford back in August. Man United went on to win the game 2-1, thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, as the Red Devils put up a convincing display.
The manager has since continued to keep the duo out of the team, which has led to club icon Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the club. Although it appears it wasn't just about game time, there are other reasons behind the curtain that led to the Portuguese exit late last year.
During his press conference ahead of the second leg of the same fixture, Manchester United's manager Erik Ten Hag was quizzed about how his "big decisions" back then were received by the club's faithful, their impact, and how he was able to handle the consequences or his worries about them.
"Yeah, I consider it definitely," Erik Ten Hag replied.
"I have to see and face the consequences of it." The impact of the decisions will be felt not only in the short term but also in the long term, of course. But you don't always have a lot of time in that period—I remember we had 10 days—so I could consider which choice would be the best.
"But I think you always have to think statistically and [consider] what the consequences are in the long term." "And I am aware of it, but that's my job, and that's the responsibility I have to take," he explained.
"I had reasons; they were obvious," he continued.
"And I knew also the consequence and also when there was a negative outcome from that game, which is always possible in football."
"But I'm not worried." I sleep well, also on those nights, and I have to take the decisions with respect and in advance of the team and the club. "That is my job, and that is the responsibility I have to take, and I have to stand by those decisions," he stated.
While Cristiano Ronaldo has left Old Trafford and is setting the Saudi Arabian Premier League on fire with his performances, Harry Maguire has stayed put but has played a lesser number of games.
The 29-year-old made a two-minute cameo during the Red Devils' 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Sunday and joined in on the celebration as they lifted their first trophy under Erik Ten Hag and their first silverware in six years. Harry Maguire has stated how much the manager still confides in him, but he has admitted Raphael Varane and the manager's tactics are the reasons he hasn't been able to return to the starting lineup.
"I think he has been asked numerous times about my role in interviews, and he tells me honestly; he believes in me, but this is football," he stated at full time in Wembley Stadium.
"The lads who are playing and starting, Rapha, are playing really well, and we have seen his ideas, the manager, and what he wants, and he does like a left-footed center-back playing, so no, it’s high competition for places."
"This is Manchester United." "We want to win trophies, and big trophies, and to do that you need competition for places, and the manager speaks to me daily, and he really respects me and believes that I am a top center-half with all the attributes to play in his team, but he also understands that the players who are playing—and I understand that the players who are playing—are playing very well."
Manchester United are headed to Anfield on Sunday evening for their next Premier League fixture, and they will be looking to beat Jurgen Klopp's men on their home turf for the first time since 2016.
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