Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, is worried that his side is “not ready” for Friday’s Premier League matchup against Fulham.
fresh hires Although they just arrived on Thursday, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui will be in the squad.
Ten Hag faces a difficult decision over his starting lineup for the game at Old Trafford because they haven’t had much time to practice with their new teammates.
In other news, attacker Rasmus Hojlund is suffering from a hamstring injury, while new £52 million defender Leny Yoro was out for three months at the start of August due to a calf injury.
United committed to investing about £60 million to acquire Bayern Munich defenders De Ligt and Mazraoui.
“The team is not ready but the league starts,” said Ten Hag.
“There are more managers who definitely have this problem but we have to make a start.
“We can’t hide from it. We can’t run away from it. We have to deal with it.”
Joshua Zirkee, United’s other summer acquisition from the Netherlands, might make his debut against Fulham after not being used as a substitute during the Community Shield loss to Manchester City.
Ten Hag is faced with a selection dilemma at left-back, as Tyrell Malacia is sidelined for an additional two months due to his ongoing recovery from knee surgery and Shaw is out due to a calf ailment.
While Diogo Dalot and Lisandro Martinez filled in for last Saturday’s Community Shield, Mazraoui might be one solution.
Ten Hag still hopes to field a potent lineup despite the selection problems.
“It’s not about the players who are not available,” the Dutchman said.
“It’s also what I said always last season: it’s about the players who are available and we have a good group, we can make a strong selection.”
Shaw has not played for United since February, primarily due to a hamstring injury. Nevertheless, he eventually recovered in time to represent England in the 2024 European Championship.
Ten Hag is excited to have Shaw back and is certain he will be well soon.
“He will return in the short term,” Ten Hag said. “It doesn’t take long.
“Luke is a very important player for our team so we want to get him back as soon as possible but we can’t force this process.” Premier League
