Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag insists his side will keep improving - and teased that more arrivals could be on the way.
The Dutchman was speaking after United made it back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time in his tenure. Having beaten Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford on Monday night, a trip to St Mary’s to face Southampton felt the archetypal banana skin.
And the Saints made United work for their victory, with Bruno Fernandes ’ smart strike the only difference in a tight encounter on the south coast. Fernandes had the game’s best chance in the opening 45 minutes, but his skewed shot only resulted in a goalmouth scramble, which somehow didn’t find the net.
But United’s captain on the day made no mistake after the break, coolly volleying home a pinpoint Diogo Dalot cut-back. The visitors then had to withstand some late pressure, but stood up tall to stop an embarrassing run of seven consecutive away defeats.
The performance signified a marked improvement on their only other away game from this term, which saw them humbled 4-0 at Brentford. And Ten Hag believes his side have learned lessons from that thrashing.
“I think they learned lessons from Brentford, quite clearly,” he told BT Sport. “We were compact from their long balls so that was good, we’re happy with this result.
"It has to be the standard for Manchester United. It has to be normal but also you celebrate every win because you have to fight for it. We learnt from our lesson in Brentford.
He added: "There is room for improvement but there was also some really good football. The last half an hour was a survival and there I think we can do better.
"There was not always pressure on the ball but [the defenders] stayed compact and were straight in the duels. I was comfortable they would deal with it.
“The finish [from Bruno Fernandes] was magnificent but the part before, it was a team goal. We built it up from the back and there were some more moments straight after half time where it was well played from the team. We have to improve in possession.
"The win against Liverpool gave us a lot of belief because we knew we could compete against one of the best teams in the world. Still at the start of the season it is really tough and hard work so everyone in the squad needs to be conscious of that.”
The win over Saints also saw Casemiro make his debut for the club, following his big money move from Real Madrid. There were also notable contributions from their other summer signings, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen.
With less than a week of the window remaining, United remain active in the window, having seen another bid rejected for Ajax winger Antony on Friday. And Ten Hag stated that if the opportunity is there, more deals will be made.
"The transfer window... you don't know what to expect. We will see. As Manchester United you always have to try do better so we can see if we can strengthen the squad, if not we will do with what we have got."
