Erik ten Hag calls on Man Utd stars to step up and ‘take responsibility’ to end crisis

Ten Hag wants the real Marcus Rashford to stand up (Image: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

After a terrible start to the season, Man Utd are in a crisis, and under pressure manager Erik ten Hag is urging his key players to stand up and produce a memorable performance in a victory over Porto.

High-profile Manchester United players have been urged by Erik ten Hag to step up against Porto tonight and help the team out of its current predicament.

After a dismal start to the season that has placed United in 13th place in the Premier League after six games, Ten Hag’s career is in jeopardy. United had a dismal start to their Europa League campaign, drew 1-1 at Old Trafford against FC Twente, and lost 3-0 at home to Liverpool and Tottenham in their next league games.

The United manager knows he cannot afford to lose Ten Hag’s team’s away match against Porto tonight. On Sunday, Ten Hag’s team travels to Aston Villa, who are coming off a thrilling Champions League victory against Bayern Munich.

Ten Hag concurred that in light of this, he needed his most well-known and seasoned players—such as captain Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Lisandro Martinez, and Matthijs De Ligt—to step up and make an impact against Porto this evening.

Ten Hag declared, “Everyone has to take responsibility, and that starts with me as a manager.” Of course, it also happens on the field, perhaps among other players with leadership qualities in addition to the guys you mentioned.

“They must rise, and we value each and every game. Since we are aware that every opponent is always fully motivated, we must prepare both individually and as a team to battle and compete against them.

“Then, in every game, you need those leaders on the field who can direct the process.”

Ten Hag has called on his star players, including captain Bruno Fernandes, to step up against Porto ( Image: Getty Images)

Ten Hag insisted he is on the same page as the leadership, who recognize the long-term nature of the rebuilding project he faces, and stated he did not require guarantees from United’s football management committee over the security of his position.

We have a daily conversation and, as per our arrangement from the summer, we are traveling together. We reviewed and discussed the situation, came to some decisions, restocked, and reset the personnel.

“I chose the employees and my aides, but it was a team effort. Because our club wants to be back at the top, we also updated the roster with players we know have a lot of promise and might be very beneficial for us in the future. We set the goal to return over a number of years as champions.

“It’s a long-term trip; we went in the boat and connected in the summer, so we’ll continue the process and have daily conversations. We will assess, review the process as needed, and make judgments each and every day.

“Only what’s inside matters; exterior factors are irrelevant. Internally, we’ve been focusing solely on our loss to Tottenham.

“Giving me confidence is not necessary from the club hierarchy because we are just discussing how we can get better. Every day, we discuss how to make this group and team better, how we must work together, how to streamline the procedures, and how to strengthen the bonds and relationships.

“The players lacked belief on Sunday, but I have witnessed a lot of games this season where we have played with total confidence.” There’s no doubt that this team has a strong belief in the strategy and in each other, as evidenced by the games we played against Manchester City in the FA Cup final and the Community Shield. However, every game presents a challenge.

“We just need to go out and play very good football to get the right result here. We know this is a very good team, with good players and they have a good plan.”