“Having heard what Erik ten Hag has done to him, I’m now sure we’re going to beat them with a wide margin”: Fc Twente boss says Erik ten Hag has made it easier for him to defeat Man United after suspending Man United’s best player this season
Manchester United may be clear favourites ahead of Wednesday’s Europa League opener with FC Twente, but Joseph Oosting’s side are certainly not prepared to lay down and accept defeat.
Far from it.
Instead, the team who finished third in the Eredivisie last season – ahead of an admittedly dreadful Ajax side – are ready to take the game to their vaunted hosts at Old Trafford.
While Manchester United have made improvements in a multitude of areas so far this season – Erik ten Hag’s team keeping three clean sheets in a row for the first time since January 2023 as an ‘unbelievable’ Andre Onana saved United’s skin at Crystal Palace – there are still some lingering concerns about how easy it is to play through the Red Devils’ midfield.
The signing of Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain should help.
But with Casemiro perhaps likely to come back into the team against Twente – as he did against Barnsley in last week’s 7-0 Carabao Cup thrashing – Oosting feels that there will be opportunities for his team should they have the bravery to seize them.
FC Twente boss shares plan to ‘hurt’ Manchester United in Europa League
“I always believe in chances,” Oosting said during his pre-match press conference. “I think that if we dare to play – really dare to play football – we can create chances.
“Especially in the transition, I think we can hurt Manchester United.”
Even against Southampton and Crystal Palace – two of the poorer sides in the Premier League – United still looked worryingly vulnerable to quick counters.
United legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane expressed concerns over Ten Hag’s tactics after that 3-0 defeat against Liverpool. A midfield short on physicality and athleticism often appearing like a block of warm-temperature butter up against teams with the sharpness required to slice through.
Twente, of course, do not have a Mo Salah or a Luis Diaz. And, individually speaking, Man United’s squad is on another level entirely to that of FC Twente.
But Oosting is determined to ensure that his plucky underdogs walk onto the Old Trafford stage not to act as unwitting stooges in a confidence-boosting Man United win, but to be antagonists in a play he hopes will have a few twists at the end.
“If you talk about Real Madrid and Barcelona, then I think United also fits in there [among the top clubs in Europe],” adds Oosting. “In the end, [beating such a side] is always easier said than done.
