Ten Hag: The derby excites me

The Dutchman has experienced – and come out on top of - our historic rivalry with Liverpool already in his early Reds career and is currently preparing to face Manchester City for the first time this weekend. 

United are set to travel to the Etihad Stadium for a 14:00 BST kick-off on Sunday as the Premier League returns following the international break.

Ten Hag’s side will head across town looking to register a fifth victory on the bounce in the competition, during a fixture which Erik already understands the meaning and importance of, particularly to the supporters.

"I played many derbies and I know what derbies, what they are,” Ten Hag explained in the first part of Friday’s press conference. 

“With rivals, what they do with each other, I think, and I know, it's the most important game in the Manchester area for the fans. It excites me. 

“You want to be involved in these games, because it gives a good vibe, it gives so much energy. You do everything to win that game."

Our neighbours are, of course, the current Premier League champions and while Ten Hag respects their recent success under a man he knows well in Pep Guardiola, the boss insists that the only benchmarks his side have are the ones they set themselves.

"Our approach is first look to ourselves," he affirmed. "And the approach for Man United is we want to win every game, and that message I've already told several times here. The aim for Sunday is nothing else. 

"We have to perform our best and we have to put out our way of play, our rules, our principles, we have to do our best and, of course, we will make a good game-plan and then it's about the execution, and we have to do it," he added.

“We know that if we want to get a result, and we want to get a result, we have to do it 100 per cent well."