Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has sent a clear message ahead of the club’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa at home this afternoon.
The Red Devils held a comfortable 2-0 lead at the interval against Tottenham Hotspur in midweek but they squandered their advantage to share a point.
Ten Hag will want a strong response from his players after the disappointing result and speaking to MUTV’s Mark Sullivan, he is looking forward to beating Villa.
Back in November last year, United beat Villa 4-2 in the League Cup third round but they suffered a heavy 3-1 league defeat in the same month at Villa Park.
Ten Hag highlighted the same to Sullivan and said that United want to get revenge for the loss in Aston.
He said: “Yeah, definitely. Big test. We have proven we can beat them in the Carabao Cup [when] we did, [but] in the weekend before, we had a tough day in Birmingham [against them] and we want to get revenge for it.”
Man Utd face another big test in top-four pursuit
United were cruising against Spurs on the road on Thursday night but they got complacent after the break and failed to secure a fourth-straight league win.
This was the second occasion that they had squandered a 2-0 lead this month. They were in a similarly dominant position against Sevilla in the first leg of the Europa League.
Against Villa, United face another big test in the top-four race. They must maintain the same intensity over 90 minutes and must not put the foot off the pedal after going ahead.
On paper, the Red Devils have the vastly better squad but Unai Emery’s side won’t provide an easy challenge. The West Midlands side have been in fantastic form.
Since Emery took charge, the Villans have accumulated 39 points, only Arsenal have managed more (41). United need another quick start to unsettle Villa’s backline.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
