Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel's comments following their 4-0 defeat to Arsenal could prove to be a boost for Manchester United and Erik ten Hag.
United have enjoyed a fruitful pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, winning three out of their four matches in preparation for the upcoming campaign. The foundations of the Ten Hag era are starting to take shape and there is plenty for the fanbase to be positive about.
However, the 2021 Champions League winners' pre-season optimism is slowly fading following their sobering defeat to rivals Arsenal. Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Albert Sambi Lokonga all scored in the 4-0 win for Mikel Arteta's side.
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Following the defeat, Tuchel admitted that his side were still some way off Manchester City and Liverpool but also offered an insight into his squad, an admission that could be great news for United. The Reds travel to Oslo for their clash with Atletico Madrid and then host Rayo Vallecano before their Premier League campaign kicks off against Brighton.
"Given our last two weeks, our game today, we should not mention the two teams in front of us," Tuchel said. "We got absolutely beaten by a team that does not play Champions League football next season and finished behind us.
"But at the moment, they seem far ahead of us." He added: "The worrying part is that the level of commitment physically and mentally for this match was far higher for Arsenal than for us.
"They played I think what is their strongest line-up and structure that you see now for several weeks. This was the line-up they will try to start for Premier League games.
"It was surely not our strongest line-up. This is a part of an explanation but only a little part and the other part is worrying. I cannot guarantee we will be ready in two weeks."
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