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Erik ten Hag remains confident of Manchester United's chances in Group A

Ten Hag remains confident of Man United's chances in Group A
© Reuters
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is still confident that his side can progress to the knockout round of the Champions League.

Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag is confident that his side can still progress to the knockout round of the Champions League despite their poor start in Group A.

The Red Devils are currently at the bottom of the section on zero points, opening with a 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich on September 20 before going down 3-2 at home to Galatasaray on Tuesday night.

Bayern are currently at the head of the section on six points, with Galatasaray in second on four, while Copenhagen have one point in third.

Man United now have a double-header with Copenhagen, hosting the Danish side on October 24 before the reverse fixture takes place in Denmark on November 8.

The 20-time English champions will then head to Turkey to take on Galatasaray on November 29 before finishing their group-stage campaign at home to Bayern on December 12.

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and Antony looks dejected after the match on October 3, 2023© Reuters

Man United almost certainly need to pick up six points from their next two games against Copenhagen to stand a chance of progressing to the next round, and Ten Hag has insisted that "everything is open".

"Everything is open. There are still four games to go and we have a double [game] with Copenhagen. Every game is tough but we know what to do. We know what our demand is there: to stay in this group and to keep our positions open for going through," he told reporters on Tuesday night.

Man United will be bidding to avoid a third successive home loss on Saturday afternoon when they welcome Brentford in the Premier League for a huge game.

"I think, for tonight, we have to settle down and look forward to Saturday, which is most important. We have to go again and have energy. The setback we have, has to be the fuel for Saturday," Ten Hag added.

Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund in action against Galatasaray on October 2, 2023© Reuters

The manager also confirmed that his decision to replace Hannibal Mejbri at the interval was a tactical one.

There had been suggestions that the midfielder had picked up a first-half injury in the European affair, but Ten Hag has revealed that he introduced Christian Eriksen for his "passing capabilities".

"No (not an enforced change), I felt he [Hannibal] played well but I wanted some passing capabilities in the midfield area, that's why we brought Christian Eriksen in," he added.

Rasmus Hojlund scored twice during an impressive performance from the home side, but Mauro Icardi decided the contest in the 81st minute with a chip over Andre Onana.

The Man United goalkeeper's performance has again been called into question, but Ten Hag has seemingly denied that the Cameroonian could be brought out of the team.

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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag pictured on September 26, 2023
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