- 21 hours ago
Ten Hag WRONG about Man Utd's biggest problem, says Mourinho’s right-hand man
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 2 Aug 2024 16:14 BST
- 3 min read
Erik ten Hag’s plan to solve Manchester United’s injury problems have been questioned by long-time Jose Mourinho ally Rui Faria.
Faria was Mourinho’s assistant at Old Trafford as the Red Devils won the 2016/17 EFL Cup and Europa League, while he was also by the legendary manager’s side at Porto, Chelsea (twice), Inter and Real Madrid.
Having won virtually every major club honour, the 49-year-old is well worth listening to when it comes to squad management, and he believes that Ten Hag has got his philosophy wrong.
United were plagued by injury issues last season, which Ten Hag cited as being the major reason the Red Devils finished eighth in the Premier League.
Now the Dutchman is seeking a way to navigate such problems this term, but already new signing Leny Yoro and first-choice centre-forward Rasmus Hojlund have succumbed to issues. Yoro is expected to miss around three months, meaning he will not make his competitive debut until November.
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Ten Hag wants safety in numbers
Ten Hag’s plan is to reduce the number of problems that Man Utd suffer by increasing the size of his playing pool.
“We are always looking for having squad depth cover for all the positions as possible double, because we know we go into the season and it's a survival of the fittest,” Ten Hag told the media when discussing Man Utd’s transfer plans.
Faria appeared to scoff at this approach via a post on his Instagram account.
“The ‘survival of the fittest’… Or the survival of those who work better?” he questioned.
“Is increasing the size of your squad the secret to Premier League success? Does a team achieve stability of performance by building a 30-man squad?
“When a club suffers injury after injury, the solution is not squad depth, it’s improving the quality of work delivered to the players!”
