Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has dismissed suggestions that the club’s training methods are “too hard” amid their current injury crisis.
Due to muscular issues, the Red Devils have revealed that Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez will be sidelined “for at least a month”.
Martinez strained his calf during practice, and Lindelof hurt his hamstring during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Brentford.
After recovering from a knee injury, the Argentina international came on in the second half of Saturday’s match at the Gtech Community Stadium in place of Lindelof.
Martinez and Lindelof haveultimately been added to an absentee list which includes Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Anthony Martial.
Ten Hag rejects training concerns
Ten Hag was questioned about Man United’s ongoing fitness problems ahead of Thursday’s match against Chelsea, having watched his team struggle with injuries all season.
“No, we don’t train too hard,” Ten Hag told reporters. “We need to be fit. With the standards in this league, you need to be fit. Otherwise, you can’t match the standards you are required in a game. We don’t train too hard.”
The Man United manager further stated that, despite choosing not to name his own dedicated fitness coach when he was hired in the summer of 2022, he had no worries about the team’s backroom personnel.
Ten Hag insisted: “We have good departments, we have good people around with a lot of knowledge. Based on data we make our decisions.”
Ten Hag blames busy schedule
Ten Hag thinks the present schedule is still having an effect on his team even though Man United isn’t playing in any European competitions right now.
Ten Hag continued, “I know that it still has an effect.” “The enormous number of games we’ve played over the past 18 months. That continues to affect our team, the players’ accumulation.
“You require really strong players. That’s the prerequisite. when you have a lot of injuries going into Christmas and you have to bring them back. However, they are not match fit even when they are injury-free. It takes a few games to get back into the groove and they don’t immediately return to form. It still has an effect.
“Anywhere, the players, the people get overloaded and they can’t bring the performances anymore. We are already over the point where we demand what we want from our top players.”