Every word from Ten Hag's pre-Fulham press conference: Part two

Erik, Sir Jim Ratcliffe said to us the other day that he, Dave Brailsford, the people making the decisions at the club, will settle on a style and the coach will play that style. Are you aligned with that? Are you comfortable with that, given that you've had your own style?
"When I came in, I also got the direction. It's normal that the club dictates the style. So you have to get agreement about this. And that is how I work now. So we want to play. And that was given before by the leaders of this club. They want to play proactive, dynamic attacking football. And that is, I think, during my time here, we always try to do."

And just with the intention to bring Dan Ashworth in, you said at Ajax that you have to have control with recruitment. Will you still want that control working with possibly Dan Ashworth, and Dave Brailsford in this new structure?
"Yes, I'm sure it's control. And I have had the talks with them about it and they will not bring in players who the manager doesn't want because it will not work. And we will work there, together with suggestions and bringing players in and discussing. And then it's about picking the right players, it's about cooperation and it's about togetherness. That is the way they want to work."

With Rasmus out, you probably have to play Marcus up front, but that means bringing Antony in. He's been a big-money disappointment. Can you rely on him over these next few weeks?
"Yes, absolutely. He has to prove a point, that he will do. And he has big potential. He hasn't shown it lately, but I know what his talent is, and it's about proving his talent, and it's about him. And, yeah, he will probably get his opportunities, right. But, yeah, I think that was always the idea. You have competition, and now he has to show himself on the training pitch, but also others, because we have opportunities there. With [Amad] Diallo returning from an injury, he's doing well in the training. Omari Forson is doing well. So we have options to fill in those positions. And so it's not set that Marcus Rashford has to play as a centre forward."

I think you spoke back in October about the injuries then, about the problems and looking internally as a club about how you can improve this. Just when things were looking up, now you've had some setbacks recently. Is it still a concern? Is what you're going through right now part and parcel of any club or is it something particular that's not right at this club that's giving you so many injuries?
"We have had a look at it and yeah, it's across the season and sometimes you are in a season. So there are many factors that are having an impact on this. And we maybe we have to improve in certain factors. But, you see it. And there's also some factors you can't influence. It's out of your power. LIke the condensed programme and the programme over seasons, and where FIFA and UEFA every time are putting more games in. And as you see also many other clubs, they have their problems with injury. So we are not the only one. It's always not only a problem for Manchester United."

In terms of Mount and Martial, how close are they from playing? And is the fact now that you've lost your two main strikers a sign that maybe the squad isn't as strong as you'd like it to be?
"When I got the news about Anthony Martial, at the start of January, I really tried to get another striker in because, yeah, we are vulnerable there. But FFP was the thing. We couldn't do it. And so yeah we worked out other options how to fill this in and how to deal with the moment Rasmus Hojlund wouldn't be available. And there are, and we have, options in our squad to fill it in."

Just on Rasmus's injury, Rashford's only scored five times, I think, for your team this season. Scott McTominay, I know, is getting the odd goal, but is this injury to Rasmus threatening to sort of kill your season, derail it, because you just can't really score many goals, can you, apart from him recently?
"I think Garnacho is scoring a lot of goals."

Is it a lot though or is it just like seven goals? Is that a lot?
"I think it's a good number, huh? Rashy is capable, but he scores five, you say, but he can score. And, I think lately in our last games, the front line is an absolute threat. And they score. And is it Rasmus Hojlund only? No, it's Garnacho. It's also Rashford, it's also Scott McTominay. And Bruno can score a goal. So I think we have [goalscorers] across the team. But what gives me the confidence where I was in autumn, the frontline wasn't scoring and they were not even a threat. And I think in this moment, they are in very good form and they are a threat continually. And I'm quite confident that even when Rasmus Hojlund is not there, that will go on. We can line up a front line really strong. And I don't think there's a front line where the opponent thinks that's easy. No, I think they will fear our front line, I'm sure."

I respect that. But you've just lost your main man so that front line now is kind of severely weakened without Rasmus, surely? I mean, that's obvious, right?
"He was lately a very important but main man? I don't see it that way, because I think especially Garnacho, is playing very strong in the last games."

Erik, you said there you would like to have tried to bring in a striker in January but for FFP restrictions. Why didn't you look to bring in two strikers, Rasmus and someone else in the summer? You've said he's a young striker and managing the intensity of the Premier League is big. Obviously you had Anthony Martial but he averages fewer than 17 Premier League starts per season over his nine years. He simply cannot be relied upon. Do you regret not bringing another striker and why did you gamble on one individual then?
"You are a football manager, eh? But it's easy. Money, FFP..."

But you've got a surfeit, you've got a number of midfielders. You obviously elected to choose to spend £60million, say, on Mason Mount. You were extremely short in the centre-forward area, and you were much less short in the midfield area. And sometimes  there are obviously very, very hard decisions to make. I'm just interested in understanding why you felt it was a gamble worth taking, to leave yourself potentially so short in the centre-forward area.
"If it was that easy... I already said the money. So first of all, the striker options are most difficult to fill this in and especially on our level. We had two strikers and I get that on Martial but he had done for us, last season, great things. So he is also on high payment in this club. And so, yeah, when you bring another one in, you strike him out. And so all the arguments were not to do it [sign two strikers]. And then we have Marcus Rashford, also a player who can play very good from that position. So we have actually had three strikers in our squad to fill in."

But you can't base a decision on indulging  Anthony Martial just because he's a high earner. He is simply unreliable in terms of the number of games he starts and plays for the football club. And you went into a season with a 20-year-old striker who had never played in the Premier League before, who's done really, really well in difficult circumstances and has got a very, very bright future. But any issue to him leaves you chronically short in the centre-forward area. And I know there's a finite amount of money. You don't have loads, but sometimes you have to make really hard decisions. And there was always that risk. I mean obviously he's missing for two or three weeks now. What happens if it had been a Martinez situation with Hojlund this  season? You would just have no quality centre-forward cover there.
"Again, I think it's a quite naive thought you bring up when you have..."

I'm naive? Or it's a naive thought?
"It's very, very naive because when you are in the position, strikers are not cheaper, and when you have three strikers in your squad and you bring a number four in, that means the perspective for the others will get short. So I thought, we thought, we had our options. But when it develops during the season, across the season, yeah, I wanted to bring in a striker in the winter, but it was not possible. We already had our problems with FFP in the summer as well, of course. So if there was an option, of course we would consider it, but it was not the case to bring [another one]. And we were happy to bring Rasmus Hojlund in. And because if I saw the striker options and the available striker options and there was really a shortage of good options. And so we were very happy to sign Rasmus Hojlund. That is a player that is to the level of Manchester United."

Did you ever look to sell Martial though, because he's outstayed his welcome for a number of years, and he always seems to be injured during transfer windows. So was that prohibitive?
"Yeah, but I see the performances from last year. We played last year our best football with Anthony Martial as a striker."

I think he played in 28 out of 62 games?
"I think you can't ignore the facts and, I knew that as well. But you do everything to get him fit,  to keep him fit. When we have given him the opportunities he contributes. For instance, he played a good game against Everton. But yeah it's too less good performances to contribute to our squad. And, we should have expected more. That is the truth. But to bring in another striker, that means you rule him totally out in the start of the season. So I don't think that's the right decision."

How close did you get in January? Because obviously I know the FFP concerns are there, but I think there is a little bit of room if you really needed to? No discussions at all? 
"No, no."