Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says “you can see potential” in his team after they brushed aside West Ham to move back into the Premier League top six.
Rasmus Hojlund made it four Premier League goals in as many games and Alejandro Garnacho scored twice as the Red Devils recorded a comfortable victory.
For Ten Hag, there was some satisfaction in their biggest home league win of the season on the day he was finally able to select from an almost full-strength squad.
Lisandro Martinez’s worrying knee injury may rob Ten Hag of that position for an extended period but, after Hojlund marked his 21st birthday by opening the scoring and fellow youngster Garnacho added another two in the second half, the Dutchman was in bullish mood.
“I have seen all your pieces,” he said, addressing journalists in his post-match news conference. “You didn’t believe me.
“In the summer we bought players for the future and I have to analyse in a clinical and calm way.
“I am not telling you we are where we want but you see potential. But you can only work on the potential when a team is available.
“Now danger is coming from Licha Martinez, so I hope we don’t go back. I hope we can keep them all fit. We can achieve a lot because in this Premier League everyone is killing everyone.”.
Remarkably, it was the first time Manchester United had won three successive games since October and only the second time they had managed it all season.
It was a case of what might have been for a West Ham side who drop to seventh.
The home side’s second came a minute after Emerson should have equalised and the Brazilian failed to take another chance after Garnacho’s goal. Diogo Dalot slid in to make a brilliant block when Jarrod Bowen ran free onto a long ball that dropped over the head of Harry Maguire before Garnacho’s second ensured West Ham would end up empty-handed.
After scoring 10 goals in their previous 10 games, Manchester United have now managed 11 in a week, starting with their FA Cup fourth round success at Newport.
Hojlund on fire for Red Devils
On the day Manchester United remembered the victims of the Munich air disaster, there was something fitting about the picture of Garnacho, Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo sat on an advertising board in front of the Stretford End following their second goal.
Munich will always be synonymous with Matt Busby’s youth policy on which the club’s DNA is built.
For Ten Hag it is doubly important.
Prospective new chief executive Omar Berrada was not at the first home game since his impending appointment was announced but Ineos was represented by Sir Dave Brailsford, whose views are evidently going to be pivotal in determining United’s direction once Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25% purchase is confirmed by the Premier League at some point this month.
If boss Ten Hag cannot deliver a return to the Champions League, he must at least be able to point to a bright future in order to secure his job. Hojlund could be a key part of that.
