'I'm not ready' – Erik ten Hag makes anxious admission ahead of Man Utd's Premier League opener

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has admitted his side are “not ready” for Friday's Premier League opener against Fulham.

Following the conclusion of Euro 2024 and the Copa America, United were among a number of sides who lost key stars due to the extended break as they began their pre-season campaign.

New signings Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee have had little chance to train with their team-mates, while another new signing Leny Yoro has already been injured, leaving Ten Hag to admit that his vision for the team this season is nowhere to be found. which is near ready to be fulfilled.

“We still don't have the kind of pre-season where you can use the team for five or six weeks – it's very complicated,” Ten Hag told reporters.

“We had a visiting team from the USA, then we added players to the Euro and Copa America, now with new players. Now we have to make a team with it. That team is not good, but the league is starting and there are many managers who do not have this problem.

“We have certain rules and regulations [they must learn] and we must begin [on that]. At the beginning of the season, don't drop points, work hard, make sure you are organized.

“We are not [at] 100% form, but we have to go from game to game to improve and get higher levels of performance in the team and in each player. We'll see how fast we can go with this plan.”

Despite the unfinished preparations for the season, Ten Hag has set his ambitions high as he challenges United to compete for as much silverware as possible.

“I have high expectations,” the manager admitted. “We won two trophies – more than all [Premier League] a club other than City, so that gives us confidence. We have to be consistent, but we want to win in every competition.”

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