MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said he would have preferred not to play his former club FC Twente in the Europa League because “it's not nice to have to hurt something you love.”
Ten Hag began his career as a player at FC Twente and returned as a coach before becoming first-team coach.
The Dutch side visit Old Trafford in the Europa League on Wednesday and Ten Hag admitted he would prefer to face another team.
“FC Twente has given me a lot,” Ten Hag said at a press conference on Tuesday. “I came through their youth system, I was part of the first youth team generation when the youth competition resumed after many years, so for me there is a lot of history there.”
“I would have preferred to play against someone else. It's not nice to have to hurt something you love.”
Ten Hag has hinted that he might rotate his squad for the game because the new expanded European format has “overburdened” players.
The 54-year-old came under fire after leaving out Marcus Rashford for the 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday, but the United boss insists he will continue to make changes to avoid burnout.
“I don't understand the criticism,” he said. “There are too many matches, too many competitions, that's clear. The players are overworked, that's not good for football. Maybe it's good for marketing.”
“We need a squad of more than 11 players. Form is part of it, tactics are part of it, but definitely management and workload are part of it.”
Rashford is likely to start against FC Twente after being used as a second-half substitute at Selhurst Park.
United have struggled to score goals this season, managing just five in five Premier League games.
It was a similar story last season, when they finished the campaign as the lowest-scoring teams in the top half of the table alongside Palace.
“We created a lot of chances in the first few games of the season,” said Ten Hag. “Last week we scored seven goals against Barnsley. We are capable of scoring a lot of goals, but it's part of the game and we have to improve and kill inside the box.”
