Erik ten Hag

Two trophies in two years is not bad, three finals in two years is not bad.

I did not play in the same way when I was at Utrecht as I did at Ajax and I do not play in the same way at Manchester United as I did at Ajax. What is the identity of the club? What is the quality of the players? And then you bring your own ideas in and it is a mixture.

I remember well that the start of my second season with Utrecht was difficult. Part of it was losing many players. You have to build in the new players. It was the same at Ajax when we lost Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong. That was not easy.

Every season is difficult at the start.

To keep a game under control, to dominate an opponent, the pressing has to be right. It does not always have to be higher up the pitch. There will be moments when you can be lower, really low.

I am a fighter and I am in that fight and I have to make sure that I share the responsibility with my players and that we stick together and fight together, and get better results.

I know Rashford can score, Hojlund can score, Garnacho can score, Bruno Fernandes can score, Scott McTominay can score.

I think, for every player, Manchester United is a very attractive club and of course you want to play at the highest levels. But if you want to go into a project in a club like Manchester United, I'm sure Manchester United is a very attractive club for every player.

I never think in a negative scenario.

When you don't have the players at the back and the patterns, when you don't have the left-footed players on the left side, you already have to make your adjustments.

You need outstanding players. 'Otherwise, you are in a process and you have to be patient.

The pundits in England want to score, they want to show they are worth the money, and for that Manchester United is an easy prey. It's the biggest club in England and possibly in the world. The club is either loved or hated, there is no in-between. So when things go bad, they all start talking and talking with very big words.

We have to win and I don't want to find excuses if we are not winning.

We want to win every game.

Of course negativity is never good.

Everywhere where I was, every season, I got my targets.

People love Man United - or they are against Man United. I like clubs like this. Ajax was like this. This job is the most difficult to do, but I want the challenge.

You always have to think strategically.

I have to face the consequences and the impact of my decisions, not only in the short-term but also for the longer-term.

There will always be tough times in every journey.

You have to earn the right to wear the shirt. That is also for me as a manager. We are in the same boat.

I admire them both, Manchester City and Liverpool.

Top football is tough nowadays, 60 games a year in club football, 10 international games. Seventy games means that every third or fourth day you have to match the highest physical levels.

Everyone who knows something about football knows what is bad, what is fair and Casemiro is a fair player.

Top football it is always a test.

Every player has to make and get his own confidence.

When you concede three goals in a top game you can't win.

It's the best feeling you can have, winning a trophy, and I have the luck in my career to win some and it's magnificent, especially for the fans.

Winning games is one thing, winning trophies is another.

OK it is 11-v-11, and it is about attacking, defending, transition. But there is more: the approach to the game, the speed of the game, the intensity. The varieties in styles.

Even if you're not playing well, if the team is not playing well, or you're not playing to the standards you expect, you still have to win - so find a way to win, be pragmatic.

There will be setbacks and disappointments and we will have to deal with it. I know that because that's life - a sporting life. Every club, every team and every supporter has to deal with it.

Every day at the training ground bring the maximum that you can and then you will develop as an individual and you will strengthen the team.

You can talk about deficits and every squad has deficits but I trust my players to give good performances and get best results.

Winning the World Cup for your country is the highest you can be.

Every game is a test, every season is a test.

We are always playing for our future, that is as professional players.

Maguire has an important role. He's the captain, he leads, he communicates with the manager, he motivates the team. He's the example on the training pitch.

When you are in the season and the results are not going in a particular way, you will always see that you pick up more injuries than in a season where everything goes right.

I can't put any energy into whether I am judged fairly or not.

English players are quite expensive.

You cannot win with 11 players.

Team building is important and I always talk about a group of leaders.

The players dictate the way you play. Especially players who score goals because they are extremely important for a team. You construct your team around them.

I demand the highest standards in sleep, recovery and nutrition because that makes the difference if you can perform every third or fourth day. That is the demand for every top player, so at Man United we are demanding the highest standards.

In general when I came in at Man United, the standards were not right.

What is important? Sleep, recovery, nutrition. Three key areas and when you don't do this right, you have a problem. You can't perform.

We want those dynamics with swapping positions, combinations, getting in behind, bringing it out of the triangles and, from there, serving our strikers.

Diogo Dalot is right-footed and on the left side. It can work very good but it is not always beneficial for your strikers.

My philosophy is that I want to play from the back and if everyone is on board, you will see, we will do it.