Ten Hag on Mount, not risking player health and why he is no Van Gaal
- Published
Manager Erik ten Hag has spoken to the media before Manchester United host Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
Here are the main lines from his news conference:
On midfielder Mason Mount, who will miss the game with another injury: "It's very unlucky. He is [normally] very robust. He only had a small issue at the end of his Chelsea career but, apart from that, he always played. It is very bad luck. We have really missed him."
On defender Lisandro Martinez wanting to be involved: "Licha came to me. He wants to play on Sunday but he's not ready. He is desperate to play but he had three injuries across the season. He is almost there, injury free, but now he has to get back into team training."
On refusing to take risks with player health: "I will never gamble with a player. Never. It's about them and their futures. The safety and health of the player is high level."
On following the fans' lead from Crystal Palace defeat: "On Monday, the fans were our example because they backed us. They see how we struggle and they see our problems. They have a very good understanding of all the injuries we have - but they keep backing the team. I am very pleased with them."
On why he does not believe he will follow fellow Dutchman Louis van Gaal in getting sacked straight after winning the FA Cup: "They [the owners] have common sense. They see when you have 32 different backlines, when you lose eight centre-back and when we don't have a left full-back. They know that will have a negative impact on results."
He added: "We are still fighting and we are in the FA Cup final. It can be a highlight of the season. I am a realistic person. No team will perform with these injuries."
Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences
Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live commentary of Man Utd v Arsenal at 16:30 BST on Sunday
