United's head coach says Manchester derby won't decide our season's journey

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is reluctant to treat the Manchester derby match at the weekend as a match that will determine the fate of the Red Devils. He said that this match only resulted in three points so Man United didn't need to be anxious about playing this match.

Red Devils are scheduled to visit the Etihad Stadium on Sunday (03 March 2024) in the Manchester Derby. The sixth-placed United is set to challenge the defending EPL champions and their neighbours, Manchester City. Many believe that this match will be a match that determines United’s fate. If the 13-time English Premier League winner loses this match, it is believed that it will be difficult for the Red Devils to qualify for the Champions League next season.

The 54-year-old Ten Hag himself does not agree with this assumption. "No, this match is not a match that determines our fate," said the Dutch coach in a recent press conference. He also said that the match against the Citizens was the same as other EPL matches, namely this match only resulted in three points. Meanwhile, there are still dozens of matches left in the EPL, so Ten Hag said that this match against City will not have a big influence in determining their qualification for the Champions League next season. "There are many matches that we will play until the end of the season. After playing against City, there are many matches that we will play and we also still have to play in the FA Cup too," continued the head coach.

United’s head coach also said that he would prepare his team as best as possible in every match, including against City. He said that United needed a lot of points to finish in the top four at the end of the season. "We know that we have to catch up on a lot of what we have left behind. There are many matches that we can use to catch up and put us in the right position," he concluded. Man United itself has a bad record when facing the Citizens. The Red Devils have only won one of the last six meetings against the second placed in the league Man City, so United wants to improve this record at the weekend.