What Erik ten Hag told Man Utd players at Carrington after Champions League exit

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Erik ten Hag immediately urged his Manchester United team to re-focus after last week’s disappointing result.

There was only a slim chance of Manchester United reaching the Champions League knockout rounds last week, needing to beat Bayern, and hope Galatasaray and Copenhagen played out a draw.

Neither happened, and Manchester United went out of Europe with a whimper, finishing fourth in the group.

Manager Erik ten Hag had to quickly pick his squad back up, ahead of the trip to Anfield, and managed to galvanise the team to secure a draw at Anfield.

What Erik ten Hag said to the squad

According to The Mail, Erik ten Hag addressed the squad all together in the first training session at Carrington after the Champions League defeat.

He is reported to have ‘spelt out the importance of targeting the highest possible finish in the league to secure a top-four place.’

The report added: “‘The message from Erik and his staff was that the league is still a great target. He said that things can change very quickly, and there are still a lot of games to go.'”

Calming the situation down

This first half of the season has been chaotic for Manchester United, with relentless games, numerous injuries, and bad results, with the dragged out takeover saga winding on in the background too.

In 2024 it should calm down a little. The exit from Europe means the team’s schedule will be less intense, and it is important there is a clear objective for the team to play for.

Manchester United’s next league games are against West Ham, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur, and it is crucial to start picking up wins.

While it is not too exciting to fight for the top four, after crashing out in the Champions League so easily this season, the players will still want to get back there for 2024 and make amends for this disastrous campaign.

The Champions League will be re-formatted next season, and look completely different. It won’t be the same, but it is a competition the club want to be part of, especially with improved prize money on offer.

The weekend’s result against Liverpool gives the team a chance to reset, calming the situation down, and drawing a line under last year’s woeful result there. Now the team must kick on, and go forwards and not backwards.