Erik ten Hag: ‘I would have easily won 75% of Man United games if not for injuries’

Erik ten Hag has won 61 out of his first 100 games as Manchester United manager so far.

When asked about this interesting statistic at his pre-match press conference, the boss replied, quoted by beIN Sport: “It tells that we are in the right direction.

“So, imagine if we had many more players available, not so many setbacks in injuries, it could have been easily 70 or 75 wins and that tells the bright future of this team when players are available.

“If you compare it, you compare it with other managers or other teams who were in a build-up stage, or with previous managers in this big club, then you can see there is a bright future.

“Also, I think it’s a good balance in ages in this squad, where young players, middle-aged players, experienced players together.”

Ten Hag added: “Imagine when they are available. As I said, we could have easily win from 100 games 75 and that’s a big difference I think with the stats you mentioned.”

Injuries have wreaked havoc on Ten Hag, with several key players missing games from the beginning. The defence continues to be hit badly, with players like Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia yet to recover.

Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup in his debut season and stands to win the FA Cup this term as their only hope of winning trophies. Losing to Liverpool in the quarter-final would effectively end Man United’s pursuit of trophies this term.

Despite finishing third in the Premier League last season, Man United are languishing in sixth place – six points behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.