Erik ten Hag and Andre Onana faced the media in Munich ahead of Manchester United's opening Champions League game of the 2023/24 campaign.
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00:00 Welcome everyone, thanks for coming to our pre-match press conference for our Champions
00:13 League game against Bayern Munich tomorrow night.
00:17 Please wait for the microphone before asking your question, give your name and organisation.
00:23 Who wants to start?
00:25 Hi Eric, Harry Maguire is not here, no Raphael Varane or Mason Mount.
00:42 With Mount and Varane is it a case that they're not quite ready to be fit yet to play?
00:47 With Harry did he get an injury in training this morning?
00:50 He had some complaints and we have to see how bad it is, so he finished the training
00:57 but was not good enough to travel.
00:59 On the injury front, is it a concern for you that you are picking up so many injuries this
01:10 season and 12 players are available for the game tomorrow night and none of them are injury
01:15 related?
01:16 It's a concern but that's why we knew that before and that's why we constructed
01:22 the squad with that.
01:26 So we can deal with it and the squad can deal with it.
01:31 Bayern signed Harry Kane this summer, you signed Rasmus Heuland.
01:36 What was the thinking behind signing potential over a proven goal scorer like Harry Kane?
01:42 It had an immediate impact at Bayern and do you feel that was the right decision by the
01:47 club?
01:48 I think we discussed it in San Diego so I don't think we have to repeat this debate.
01:59 So we are happy with Rasmus, obviously in the first games he was injured, he played
02:06 now in Arsenal, he had now a start so now of course we have to integrate him in the
02:12 team but you can see he is a big talent and he will contribute to our game.
02:19 We are quite confident of that.
02:32 Hi Eric, you trained Bayern's second team for two years and I would like to know how
02:38 much influence does this time still have on the way you work at Manchester United and
02:44 how strong is the connection to Bayern so many years later?
02:48 It's been great years for me.
02:51 I really enjoyed it here and I like the mentality from Bayern, the reach in Bayern as well as
03:02 the club.
03:03 We had great years, first year especially we were champions but then unlucky that we
03:13 didn't promote it.
03:14 I will never forget that but it was also a good experience you get as a manager and coach.
03:21 So for me it was a very good experience to be here and it was enjoyable.
03:29 The fans admire your passion, is that important to you?
03:35 Also have you had added extra expectation after replacing the boots of David de Gea,
03:43 one of the most established players here at Manchester United, some would even call a
03:46 legend at a football club.
03:47 Have you handled that ok?
03:50 I'm a very passionate player and I demand a lot from my players and my defenders.
04:01 Like I always say, we are in this together, being part of this big club is something great.
04:08 Manchester United is amazing, the club is huge.
04:12 I'm happy to be here, replacing David is not something easy.
04:17 I'm trying to do my best of course, the start of the season is not what we want but better
04:24 days will come, the situation will return and I'm very confident that everything will
04:28 be alright.
04:29 Eric, last time you were in the Champions League was great for your style of play with
04:36 Ajax almost getting to the final.
04:38 Is that important in this competition?
04:41 Is that a frustration of yours that some have critiqued your style of play, that you haven't
04:45 quite got it yet here at Manchester United?
04:48 First part I didn't hear, can you repeat it?
04:56 Last time you were in the Champions League with Ajax you were praised for your style
04:59 of play, almost getting to the final with Ajax.
05:02 There's been some critique that we still haven't got an actual style of play at Manchester
05:06 United.
05:07 Is that the biggest frustration, the injuries, the constant change, you've never been able
05:10 to have that established team?
05:12 Do you need that in this type of competition?
05:18 One thing is true, I think from the start last season I almost never started with the
05:25 best, I would say in my opinion the best start eleven.
05:28 It was always something like an injury.
05:33 But you have to deal with it and I think we always got the results in apart from the period
05:40 where we are now.
05:41 So that is football and there's always part and I have experience in the past, I managed
05:49 it in the past, it's not always going up and you have to deal with it.
05:57 I like these situations because now we have to handle it and we have to manage this.
06:05 You have to know what to do and that is focusing on the process.
06:11 Hi Eric, just wondering what you've made of Bayern Munich's start to the season.
06:15 They obviously had the defeat against Leipzig in the Super Cup and they've conceded twice
06:21 against Leverkusen.
06:22 Do you see ways that you can exploit them defensively as much as they've been impressive
06:27 with those attacking players including Harry Kane?
06:30 I think they are, as you say, very attractive players, very skilful.
06:39 You can't be unfocused for one split of second because of the individual class they have.
06:51 But as you say, they leave you sometimes spaces.
06:55 We are very respectful of Bayern, especially in the Champions League.
07:01 At home, especially in the group stage, they are very strong.
07:06 As you say, we are looking forward to it because we like the talent and we trust ourselves.
07:14 Hi Eric, I appreciate you have quite a big squad in total but the nine players that are
07:21 out through injury, there are some quite senior players, important players in that group.
07:27 Can you go to your doctors, physios, etc. and ask them why these kind of injuries are
07:33 happening to your players?
07:34 I don't know if we have to go to the doctors or physios because they are dealing with the
07:40 problems.
07:46 First of all, injuries are always coming in top football because we are living on the
07:50 edge.
07:51 When you are living on the edge, the injuries are coming up.
07:57 Of course we analyse why things happen.
08:01 But also we have to deal with the facts.
08:04 It's always about the players who are available.
08:07 That's a strong side that we can line up and we have to get the best out of it.
08:11 We are focusing on that.
08:14 To bring up tomorrow again a good team, make the next step, integrating Rasmus Hoyland,
08:21 integrating Rigoljon.
08:22 Two new players in our way of play.
08:26 We are here to get a result.
08:29 You mentioned before about the demands you place on team-mates.
08:35 A lot is still being made about the incident or argument with Harry Maguire in Las Vegas.
08:40 I think your first game for the club where you reacted to a mistake he made.
08:45 Are you surprised how much is still being made of that?
08:47 Is that just a case of that's your game and that happens?
08:51 Can you go slowly?
08:54 The incident with Harry Maguire in Las Vegas when you first started with the club.
08:59 A lot is still being made of that.
09:01 Are you surprised how much was made of that?
09:03 Is that just what you're like, that you will react if you feel a team-mate has made a mistake?
09:08 No, Harry is a very good guy.
09:11 I have a great relationship with him.
09:14 I even spoke with him this morning before we took off to Munich.
09:20 What happened there I already explained straight away after the game.
09:24 I don't think we have to give importance to what happened.
09:28 We are big guys and what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch.
09:33 With Harry I have a great relationship.
09:50 Erik, I'm just wondering, since the weekend, whether you've felt the need to have any sort of reset with the squad?
09:57 A kind of start over again, whether there's anything like that that you've done?
10:02 No, I don't feel that we need a reset.
10:08 Absolutely not. We are in the process.
10:10 What you see is that we in parts of the game play very good.
10:15 But then also in parts of the game we play below our levels.
10:21 So what we have to demand is to be consistent.
10:26 So we have to step up in certain levels all the time, for 90 plus minutes.
10:32 That is the demand on us.
10:40 Andre, we know that you're renowned for playing out from the back.
10:44 You're very comfortable on the ball as a goalkeeper.
10:47 How important is it for you to show that you're more than that though?
10:50 You are a good shot stopper. You are good at claiming crosses.
10:54 You can command the box. Do you find that frustrating?
10:56 And do you feel that you also need to prove that you're not just good with your feet, you're more than that?
11:01 Well, I don't think I'm here because I'm only good with my feet.
11:05 Because my story speaks for me.
11:08 But like I always say, the most important thing is the team.
11:11 We are here to win and I have to adapt myself with the team.
11:16 If the team needs me to be good with my feet, I will be good with my feet.
11:22 If the team, if we are playing on a low block or we are playing high, it depends on the situation.
11:27 I'm a goalkeeper first, so I have to save balls.
11:30 But that's why I'm here and we all have to step up.
11:35 Like I said in the beginning, we didn't start well this season,
11:40 but I'm very confident everything will get alright.
11:44 I'm excited for tomorrow. It's an important game for us. It's a key game.
11:48 And when I see how the team is working, how we have been working this week,
11:54 I'm very confident and I'm very excited.
11:56 As we have Rasmus now, you know he can make moments out of anything.
12:03 Fantastic goalscoring return last year.
12:05 Have you had any conversations with him about how he needs to transform his game
12:09 now that we have someone like Rasmus and the type of service that Rasmus might need?
12:13 Yes, absolutely. How can the two take benefit from each other?
12:20 They have to know each other.
12:22 That process has just started.
12:28 But at the same time, we need results.
12:30 It has to go hand in hand.
12:32 We learn from every training and we learn from every game.
12:36 Of course, we reflect togetherness and we lead that as coaching staff.
12:44 But also, we have seen that Rasmus and Ressie together, they are talking
12:51 how they can take benefit from each other.
12:53 You can see that discussion, that interaction on the pitch is going on.
12:59 And that's a good sign.
13:01 And I'm sure they will get that connection.
13:04 I think the connection is already there, but I think they will get the routines in.
13:09 Okay, last question.
13:14 Just a question for Andre, if that's okay.
13:16 Congratulations on reaching the African Cup of Nations with Cameroon.
13:19 I just wondered, do you yet know what you'll do in that situation if you're called up?
13:24 If I'm called up, we don't know if I'm going to be called up.
13:28 So we cannot speak about things we don't know.
13:31 Let's see what's going to happen in the next month.
13:35 But we are here to play against Munich.
13:40 It's an important game for us. It's the most important thing.
13:43 We are going to focus on the game from tomorrow.
13:45 Okay, thank you very much.
13:47 Thank you very much.
13:49 [Applause]
13:54 [BLANK_AUDIO]