Manchester United defender Jonny Evans has said that January presents an opportunity for the Red Devils to improve the squad with fresh signings.
The Red Devils were ousted out of Europe last night following a 1-0 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich at Old Trafford. Kingsley Coman scored the winner for the visitors.
Evans started the game on the bench but he was introduced before the half-time interval after Harry Maguire was unable to carry on after picking up a groin injury.
The Northern Irishman had a solid game against the German champions, but a moment of brilliance from Harry Kane allowed Coman to break the deadlock for Bayern.
Speaking after the game to Sweden’s TV4 (via Fotbollskanalen), Evans acknowledged that the club can’t feel sorry for themselves and need to respond with good results.
He said: “We have a big game this weekend [against Liverpool] and can’t feel sorry for ourselves. If you look at the last few weeks, the results have been inconsistent. It shows where we are as a team, but the positive thing is that we know we can achieve good results.”
When pressed on Erik ten Hag’s position as manager, the centre-back said that he is a fantastic coach and he has no doubts over his credentials.
Evans added that January presents a chance to improve the team and not playing in Europe gives the manager more time on the training pitch.
He added: “He is a fantastic coach and I have no doubts about him. In January we get a new window and a chance to improve the team. Not playing in Europe will give him more time.”
“We’ve had a tough period but hopefully we’ll get players back from injuries and get more consistency in the team. It would be good for him [Ten Hag].”
Man Utd need winter signings to change their fortunes
United had a tough Champions League campaign with just four points attained from six group games. They conceded 15 which is the worst for any English club in the group stage of the competition.
Andre Onana’s goalkeeping errors contributed towards the poor performance but the defensive record was not impressive either. They were guilty of conceding of plenty of shots on goal.
This led to questions whether the club may invest on a new centre-back next month. Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo has been linked for some time and could be a realistic target this winter.
Meanwhile, United had no troubles with their goalscoring in Europe with 12 goals from six games, but they have netted only 18 times in 16 matches in the Premier League this term.
Rasmus Hojlund has not scored in 12 top-flight outings. Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy, who has netted 18 goals already, could be pursued with a low €17.5 million release clause in his deal.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com