Ten Hag Admits Manchester United Are 'Not Ready' for Season Opener

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has conceded that his team is "not ready" for the start of the Premier League season on Friday. Despite this, Ten Hag is hopeful that new signings Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui can quickly integrate into the squad.

United will kick off their Premier League campaign at home against Fulham, with Ten Hag aiming for a strong start after the team finished in eighth place last season. A surprising victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May is considered a key factor in Ten Hag retaining his position.

The club has invested heavily in the transfer market, bringing in De Ligt and Mazraoui from Bayern Munich, along with Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee. However, injuries have once again affected United's pre-season preparations, with Yoro, striker Rasmus Hojlund, and left-back Luke Shaw all currently sidelined.

"The team is not ready but the league starts," Ten Hag stated during his pre-match press conference on Thursday. "We can't hide from it. We have to deal with it."

De Ligt and Mazraoui, who previously played under Ten Hag at Ajax, are expected to feature in the squad against Fulham. Ten Hag emphasized that the focus should be on the players who are available, noting, "It's also what I said always last season: it's about the players who are available and we have a good group, we can make a strong selection."

Despite a penalty shootout loss to Manchester City in the Community Shield last weekend, Ten Hag observed positive aspects of his team's performance. Alejandro Garnacho, who scored United's lone goal in a 1-1 draw, is among several players who are not yet at full match fitness after returning late from international duties.

"We will not (be) 100 percent," Ten Hag acknowledged. "But we have to go from game to game to improve, to get higher performance levels in the team and individual players, and we will see how quick we can go into this process."