Erik ten Hag has suggested that David de Gea’s poor distribution is one of several factors holding Manchester United back from winning trophies.
De Gea’s kicking in Saturday’s FA Cup final was often imprecise, and he made a blunder early in the second half that ultimately allowed Ilkay Gundogan to seal a brace, handing Manchester City the trophy at United’s expense.
It remains unclear whether De Gea will still be United’s No1 next season, with the club monitoring various goalkeepers including Brentford’s David Raya.
Reflecting directly on De Gea’s distribution at Wembley, manager Ten Hag admitted: “There are issues in the game that we have to improve if we want to make the next step and win trophies.”
Ten Hag went on to defend De Gea’s latest iffy performance though, insisting “we win together and we lose together”.
Speaking about City’s goals, he added: “One off kick-off and one off a wide free-kick. We have to be better organised. As a team, we didn’t do the jobs we had to do. If you want to win trophies, this makes a difference.”
Ten Hag was encouraged by his side’s performance at Wembley and addressing the difference between the two teams, he said: “I think it was very narrow. We played very competitively. We played against probably the best team in the world at the moment.
“We showed today against City that our home win was not a coincidence; on another day, we could win this game. We have played a fantastic season. We have qualified for the Champions League, we won a trophy [the Carabao Cup], and we reached another final.”
Asked what it felt like to watch Pep Guardiola’s City lift the trophy at Wembley at United’s expense, Ten Hag replied: “Of course, it is a motivation. You have to feel this in the stomach. It hurts. We have to be quiet, analyse the season, find conclusions and then take actions.”
