Ten Hag anticipated Man Utd’s comeback and believes Hojlund would score plenty of goals.
Boos resounded throughout Old Trafford at halftime as Aston Villa took a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from John McGinn and Leander Dendoncker in the first six minutes of play. It appeared as though United would suffer its 14th loss of the season in all competitions.
But once it was discovered that Sir Jim Ratcliffe held a minority share in INEOS, Sir Dave Brailsford, the director of sport, watched as United recovered in the second half, with Alejandro Garnacho scoring twice before Hojlund won it in the 82nd minute.
The summer acquisition from Atalanta had not scored in 16 domestic league games, despite finishing as United’s top scorer in their brief Champions League run. However, he made no errors when McGinn could only flick the ball into his path eight minutes from time.
Regarding the 20-year-old Dane, Ten Hag remarked, “Of course I’ve had several talks with him and every time I’ve pointed out he has scored for Denmark a lot, he has scored in the Champions League, he has demonstrated his ability so you can do it, believe.” “Now that he has scored his first goal, I’m sure he will score more.
“It is a concern when a striker fails to score, but his strong character and unwavering determination make up for it.” He’s got a lot of personality. This is what a striker needs, in my opinion. Keep investing, and the goals will materialize.
Two days prior to Brailsford’s arrival, Ratcliffe had stated that he would be purchasing a 25% share in the club, along with control over football operations, subject to Premier League approval.
The ease with which Villa scored their goals would have alarmed the former British Cycling manager. A packed box was hit by McGinn’s wide free kick, and Dendoncker was practically unmarked when he flicked the ball home from a corner.
“It wasn’t the worst,” Ten Hag responded when asked if Brailsford had witnessed the best and worst of his United team. We played well already in the first half, I believe. Giving up two goals was a touch careless, but we continued after making a small pressing adjustment.
“We made opportunities in the first half already, and I demand that we continue to believe in ourselves. At the interval, I told them, “Keep believing, and we can win this game.”
“After the first half, after controlling the game for the first sixty minutes, and after we gave up the (first) goal with a mistake in the middle, we are disappointed,” he stated. “After that, the environment was so much better for them; they were being pushed, and even then, we responded with wonderful opportunities for Leon Bailey and John McGinn.
“That was the pivotal moment because Manchester United is not taking the point at home with the players they have and even in this moment.”We must comprehend the general nature of the season we are playing. Although it has been excellent, it may be even better.