Share
Erik ten Hag hailed the progress Manchester United have made in their defensive work after recording three successive victories, as he weighs up whether to hand Antony his debut against Arsenal on Sunday.
United continued their recovery from a dismal start to Ten Hag’s tenure on Thursday, with Jadon Sancho’s goal seeing off Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
The Red Devils last posted three successive league wins in December 2021, when they downed Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Norwich City.
Ten Hag’s team have also kept back-to-back clean sheets after clinching a shutout win over Southampton last week, but while the Dutchman is pleased with their defensive improvements, he knows there is still work to be done.
“I have seen some good stuff, you are taking about that. I see structures are coming, we are constructing and that’s good to see,” he said.
“We have to do that and improve from game to game, and that means work on the training ground, on the video, and in the games.
“Collectively, I see the whole team is defending and that makes it more easy for our defenders, but I think what they do well is they cooperate, they do it together and they support each other.
“They have a good performance and that makes it hard for the opposition to create chances, I think that’s what we see in this moment.”
Asked where United need to make further progress, Ten Hag added: “I think many more things, about formation, about creating lines and then making the right decisions on the ball.
“Off the ball, we have made a good step, we have a base, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.”
United have only won one of their past eight Premier League games against Arsenal, posting three draws and four losses in that sequence. However, the Red Devils did triumph 3-2 in this fixture last campaign.