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Rob Dawson, reporter
Erik ten Hag admitted Manchester United “should have done better” in the Champions League this season, but said their early exit from Europe did not mean their season was effectively over.
United’s 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich, combined with Copenhagen’s 1-0 win over Galatasaray, saw Ten Hag’s side crash out of European competition entirely after finishing last in Group A.
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The Dutchman said afterwards that his side still had a lot to play for, despite being eliminated from the Carabao Cup and sitting sixth in the Premier League table.
“The facts are that we don’t have enough points,” Ten Hag said. “We are disappointed as a group. As a coach I am disappointed. We should have done better. There are still many things to play for and now we can of course focus on the Premier League.”
“This is the level we want to play, the Champions League, so we have to do our best to be in the top four and come back next year in the Champions League. Then we have the FA Cup, so there are a lot of things.” To play for.”
It was an attempt at a positive result from Ten Hag, but a 12th defeat of the season – seven of them at home – represents another crushing blow in a season filled with such defeat.
To make matters worse, both Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw suffered muscle injuries against Bayern and could now miss the trip to Anfield to face Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday.
“We are losing players and players who are very crucial to our game, who can make a difference, and in many matches this has also been the case this season,” Ten Hag said. “We didn’t always have the players available that we wanted to play with. That’s definitely a part.
“Now I give you a reason, but don’t take it as an excuse because even when we’re not all in the team, we still have to win because they’re goals for Manchester United.”
