Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has fired a warning against complacency in the aftermath of his side’s Carabao Cup triumph over Newcastle United.
Ten Hag guided the Red Devils to their first trophy since 2017 yesterday, courtesy of first-half goals from Casemiro and the in-form Marcus Rashford.
Having ended a six-year drought, the Dutch tactician wants the success to motivate his side to keep going and win more trophies.
“It’s one cup, and it’s February, but it shows we are in the right direction,” Ten Hag told reporters (via Football Daily).
“So this has to be the inspiration – this has to be the motivation to keep going, to continue on this pathway and to improve.
“Happy yeah, for 24 hours but not be satisfied because satisfaction leads to laziness, and when you are caught lazy, you don’t win any more of your games, and you can’t win trophies.”
United are the only Premier League team competition on all fronts this season, and the Old Trafford faithful can dream of an improbable quadruple this season.
Ten Hag’s side have slowly crept up behind Arsenal and defending champions Manchester City at the top of the table and are in contention for the league crown.
United are six points behind their local rivals with a game in hand. Meanwhile, eight points separate them from league leaders Arsenal with 14 games left to play.
Their next fixture will see them take on West Ham United in the FA Cup with a place in the next round on the line, and their imperious run of form suggests that could be a formality.
Ten Hag’s side have only lost one of their last 19 games in all competitions, but the Dutch manager says his team are not looking far ahead into a possible quadruple.
“You have to go from game to game,” Ten Hag added. “You can’t look far ahead and dream because that will distract you. The focus has to be on the job, and 100 percent focus is necessary to get the right results.”
