Ten Hag: The fans give us a fantastic feeling

Following the final home game of the season, where Manchester United beat Newcastle 3-2, Erik ten Hag addressed the crowd with a rousing speech ahead of the FA Cup final.

Speaking to the club’s official site, Ten Hag reflected on his gratitude to the fans for sticking with the team through thick and thin.

It’s fantastic to feel that fight, to feel the strong bond between the team and the fans, and we have seen it through the whole season and in difficult moments. They are always with us and always backing the team, they stuck with us and that is a fantastic feeling, if you can build such a strong bond. We invested a lot, the fans and the team, in difficult moments. Stay with each other and you have good times, and I’m sure the good times will come. We’re building up, the fans see this and they recognise this and, of course, they count on us. We have to pay them back.

Ten Hag has reflected on our injury crisis and the players returning, with Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez and Marcus Rashford all playing against Newcastle.

We have some days to go but there are players returning. They’re desperate to play any minute and, of course, definitely in the final in one week but, on Sunday, we have a very important game to play. We need a better result than Newcastle. So yeah, that we will put out a line-up what is strong and the strongest we have. But, at the same time, we have to find the balance, that we also try to bring players returning from injury back on the pitch.

He [Bruno] didn’t miss so much and he’s fit. I would say that is one of my least concerns, if he can keep going. He’s fresh and he’s in very good form but the others you mentioned, it’s important. They missed some games. Rashford, since Coventry, but, of course, Licha Martinez missed, I would say, almost the whole season. So every minute that he can get, we have to give him.