Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag did not engage in questions regarding the Premier League charges that the club’s rivals Manchester City were hit with on Monday.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has refused to be drawn into commenting on the Premier League charges levelled against rivals Manchester City.
Reigning top-flight champions City have been hit with multiple charges and accused of more than 100 breaches, relating to activities between 2009 and 2018. An independent commission is due to rule on the findings, though the club will be unable to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, something which saw them avoid a ban following previous charges brought by UEFA.
It has been reported that a number of City’s league rivals are keen for the club to be relegated from the Premier League if the charges are upheld. The punishment that the club may face can range from fines to points deductions or even expulsion from the Premier League.
Unsurprisingly, the topic of City’s situation was put to Ten Hag at his press conference on Tuesday as he looked ahead to his side’s rearranged midweek Premier League clash against Leeds United. Only three points separate the two Manchester clubs in the standings, albeit City have one match in hand.
Ten Hag, as has been the case throughout his press conferences throughout this season at Old Trafford, refused to be drawn into speaking about matters that were not related to his side and he did not offer any comment or opinion on City’s breaches.
The Dutchman told reporters when asked on City’s situation: “I don’t have an opinion because I’m not here for financial regulations, I am a football manager. I have to stick to that and others have to deal with that.”
United’s clash against Leeds is a different type of derby than the Manchester clash, but Ten Hag is aware of its significance: “It’s about the match of the roses. It’s definitely a big, big game. It’s part of England. It’s big for us. We have Man City, Liverpool but for our fans this game means so much and our players will know what to do.”
Ten Hag has also spoken about the opposition in the wake of their sacking boss Jesse Marsch. The Red Devils boss said: “Always said if a manager gets sacked, in general I don’t believe in it. Let managers do their work. The pressure is high with decision makers in football clubs but if you see the stats, mostly it doesn’t work out so well.
“We have to be aware of that so when Jesse Marsch was at Leeds it was clear how they played. Now it’s possible they change but it’s also possible they don’t. We will only find out on the pitch tomorrow but we need good anticipation on that so we know what to do.”
Source: www.mirror.co.uk
