Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag responded to critics during his post-match press conference following a challenging display by his team in Portugal, where they almost suffered a defeat.
Manchester United, during their second UEFA Europa League playoff game against FC Porto in Portugal, squandered a 2-0 lead orchestrated by forwards Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Højlund just 20 minutes into the game.
Unfortunately for the Red Devils, FC Porto fought back and equalized both goals within 14 minutes of Manchester United scoring theirs. Porto then took the lead five minutes into the second half through Samu Aghehowa’s second goal, but Manchester United relied on a late equalizer from Harry Maguire to salvage a point.
United has yet to win any of their two playoff games in the European second-tier tournament, drawing both matches. However, the manager believes it’s too early for judgment by critics and fans, asking that they wait until the end of the season:
“We will get there. Don’t judge us at this moment. Judge us at the end of the season. We are in the process, and we will improve. We have now reached finals in two consecutive seasons. We have to develop and progress this team.”
In the tough match, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was shown a red card after receiving two yellow cards in each half. This marks his second red card in four days.
