Erik ten Hag told Manchester United to use the first trophy of his reign as an inspiration to win more – but not to be satisfied with their success because that would make them lazy.
United beat Newcastle 2-0 to win the Carabao Cup, courtesy of a Casemiro header and an own goal from Sven Botman, to end their six-year wait for silverware.
They could add the FA Cup and the Europa League this season and manager Ten Hag is urging them to aim for more.
He said: “It has to be the inspiration to keep going and be happy for 24 hours but not satisfied because satisfaction leads to laziness and then you don’t win trophies. It is about glory and honour and if you want to prove something and win something you have to do it [yourself]. It is one cup and it is February but it shows we are in the right direction.
Ten Hag allowed his team to celebrate and danced on the pitch with his former Ajax players Antony and Lisandro Martinez after the final whistle.
He added: “I hope we can do even more in the future but therefore we have to invest and sacrifice and suffer every day to win trophies.
“It is not business as usual, it is not a common day, we won a trophy and this trophy means something and that is the feeling I get here in the UK and we have won something we have to celebrate.”
Ten Hag’s decision to leave Ajax for United, who had just endured their worst season for more than 30 years is being justified by the impact he is having.
And he said: “Maybe it was a risk but I just love United so when I see our shirts the boundary with the fans, when I see Old Trafford, the legacy like Sir Alex {Ferguson] left, so many big players were developed in a United shirt and we want to do the same. This team wants to make its own history and when this opportunity came I thought it was the right club for me and I want to be part of it.”
