Key quotes: Part one of Erik's Brentford presser
Erik ten Hag has been speaking to the media at Carrington this (Friday) afternoon, ahead of Manchester United's Premier League game against Brentford on Saturday.
The 15:00 BST kick-off at Old Trafford will see the Reds end a 13-day hiatus since our last Premier League outing - the 0-0 draw away to Aston Villa - by pursuing a return to winning ways against Thomas Frank's Bees.
After congratulating United fan and journalist Andy Mitten on being part of the inspirational group of trekkers that climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of the club's Foundation earlier this month, Ten Hag fielded questions on the availability in his squad, Christian Eriksen's recent performances and Thomas Tuchel's appointment as England boss this week.
Scroll down to see his answers on those topics and more in part one of his pre-Brentford briefing, before the second section is released at 22:30 BST this evening...
Part one: Press conference v Brentford
Press conference part one | Erik answers questions about the future, injuries and Saturday's match v Brentford...
“Kobbie [Mainoo] and Harry [Maguire] are out for a couple of weeks, [Noussair] Mazraoui is good news. He faced an illness, but he returned on the training pitch and he's available for selection tomorrow.”
SHAW AND MALACIA BACK SOON
“They are back but we can't force their return. We have to do it very carefully because we don't want a return and then they quickly drop out. So, we do it very carefully but, of course, we hope to do it as soon as possible because this team needs a left-full-back, that's for sure.”
“He faced some injuries in the first year, but already he was very important, as he was last season. But then also coming up was Kobbie, but then, lately, he proved himself, In the team and also together with Kobbie, that can be a very good couple. Unlucky now it's fell apart [that partnership due to Kobbie's injury] for the coming weeks but it's clear, he has a good season so far, he's important for the team with his contribution in linking key passes, being creative, composed and calm, and I'm very happy with his performances so far in the season.”
PROMISING SIGNS
“It's top football, sometimes you have to face challenges. Sometimes it goes up, sometimes it goes down but I'm sure we will make it a success as we did the last two seasons. I think we are in a direction, underneath I see the good things. I see good patterns and I see also good stats that confirm we are in a good direction. But the ranking is not lying, we are where we are and that's not good enough.”
A NEED TO SCORE MORE
“We have to start scoring. It's the most important part in football, if you want to win games, you have to score goals. And in that part, we have to improve. We're entering the final third, we're entering the box, coming in good positions to score. Now we have to step up the last step, but the most important step, to net.”
TUCHEL APPOINTED ENGLAND BOSS
“I think it’s a very good choice from the FA. He's a top-class manager, proved himself creating top teams, creating teams who win and England didn't win so much since 1966, so I think it's a very good appointment to get a win because England has world-class players. Make it a team. They have the opportunity to win a big Championships, the Euros or the World Cup.”
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