Manager Ten Hag: Manchester United will build into the season

Manchester United will be the 2024-25 Premier League season by hosting Fulham at the Old Trafford on Friday. As the manager of the 'Red Devils', Erik ten Hag said they are not 100-percent ready, but will build into the season.

"We are complete and we are now working together for, let's say, 10 days and always that will take a while," Ten Hag said. "But more teams will have this problem. In the start of the season, don't drop points, work hard, make sure you are well organized in and out of possession – that gives you the best chance. But we will not [be] 100 percent, 100-percent form. But we have to go from game to game to improve, to get higher performance levels in the team and individual players, and we will see how quick we can go into this process."

United finished the 2023-24 campaign in the eighth place in the Premier League with 18 wins, six draws and 14 losses, but won the FA Cup title after beating Manchester City in the final.

"The issues are there. But it's not about the players who are not available," Ten Hag said. "Like I said last season, it's about the players who are available and we have a good group, we can make a strong selection, we can put out a strong team, so we will do. [Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire and Noussair Mazraoui] will be in the squad."

United signed De Ligt and Mazraoui from Bayern Munich this month. Both played under Ten Hag back when they were in Ajax.

"I think he (Mazraoui) is a player who is quite difficult to put under pressure," Ten Hag said. "I think especially in English football, that can be very beneficial. There is always pressure on the ball and this is a player who one of his key attributes is that it's very difficult to put him under pressure because he finds often solutions."