Key quotes from Ten Hag’s press conference

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag addressed sections of the media at Carrington this afternoon, as our preparations continue ahead of Saturday’s FA Community Shield clash against Manchester City.

The Reds will be bidding to make it two wins in two at the national stadium against Pep Guardiola’s side, in the space of just three months, with the focus on ensuring a positive start to the season following our US endeavours.

Our latest outing, against Liverpool in South Carolina, perhaps provided an early indication as to who will feature against City on Saturday, with Erik revealing further details in his pre-match press conference.

Scroll down to read some of the hot takeaways from the boss, as our 2024/25 off-season efforts continue to build momentum. You can also watch the first part of his media briefing in full.

LATEST ON MAGUIRE

“Harry Maguire missed the game [against Liverpool] in a precaution, he is a question mark for Saturday. So we have training and we will have to see whether he is fit enough or not to be available.”

LINDELOF UPDATE

“Victor [Lindelof] played, but he is also a question mark and so is Azza [Aaron Wan-Bissaka]. Luke Shaw too. They are all question marks and we have to see about [them] tomorrow.”

WILL OUR INTERNATIONALS PLAY?

“That is individual based and every [player] has a different background. We put them all on off-season programmes but they all have different starts as well in pre-season and in the weeks we were in the USA. So from individual to individual, we will assess them and make a decision whether they start, come from the bench or they don’t play.”

MOUNT RARING TO GO

“We know he is a high-class player and [he is] just bringing his skills in. Last season he had a very bad season, a very tough season from him because of his injuries. So we are now very pleased he has had a good pre-season and I am sure now from this point on, he will be contributing to the team. But if you stay fit that happens and that counts for every player.”

TRANSFER BUSINESS

“When we have news we will announce it. You see the market is quite quiet still but we have done our business, we have done two deals. It is about timings and it is about the market options and [ensuring] in the right moment we do the right things.”

JADON’S FLEXIBILITY

“You know with Jadon [Sancho], I think he can play across the whole of the front line, so we have options for more than one position [with him]. It is how you set up the team and you can look at your own tactics, game model and [work out] what will work the best. So what is necessary for the game and Jadon has some abilities and you can use him in the game and use the tactics in the next game.”

CHANCE FOR ANOTHER TROPHY

“We always want to win. Also in all the friendlies, it is about a trophy so we will put out a team that is very competitive to try and win this trophy. But is also pre-season and we don’t go into big risks with players, that is also I think a normal approach for this game.”