Ten Hag proclaims Man Utd’s ‘Project’ hinges on Champions League – but what could this mean?

Erik ten Hag, Manchester United’s esteemed Head Coach, has recently admitted that qualifying for the illustrious and highly coveted Champions League is of utmost importance to him and his team. The race for the top four places in the league is becoming increasingly intense and reaching a climactic point. Despite enduring a shaky period, Ten Hag’s side are still very much in control of their own destiny, much to the chagrin of their bitter rivals, Liverpool. Fourth placed United are set to face Bournemouth this coming weekend, holding a one-point lead over their fifth placed counterparts, Liverpool. It is worth noting that United have three games left to play, whereas Liverpool only have two, but this does not mean that Ten Hag and his team can rest easy. In fact, defeats against Brighton and West Ham in previous games put their Champions League hopes in dire jeopardy, and Ten Hag was quick to remind his players of the importance of finishing in the top four, especially at the end of his largely encouraging debut season in charge. When questioned about his project, Ten Hag simply stated that “It’s important to get in the Champions League. We have to win to get in the Champions League. We have everything in our hands so focus on the game, the games coming up, the first game is the most important.” However, there may be some cause for concern, as England forward Marcus Rashford may be unable to grace the pitch, yet again. He recently missed an important game against Wolves due to a troubling leg injury, but he had been expected to be available for the Bournemouth game, until he went down with an unexpected illness. Ten Hag responded to the setback, acknowledging Rashford’s hard work and determination by saying, “Rashy trained well the whole week but today he reported he doesn’t feel well. We have to see how he recovers during the day and then see tomorrow.” In another disconcerting turn of events, United’s on-loan midfielder, Marcel Sabitzer, will sadly miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury, but when queried about a possible future at Old Trafford for the Bayern Munich player, Ten Hag simply replied, “We will see. It’s not our main focus, the main focus is Bournemouth.”