Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reaffirmed on Monday that he considers the English League Cup to be an important trophy, despite many top clubs treating it as a secondary competition.In his debut season at Old Trafford in 2022/23, Ten Hag led United to League Cup victory, and followed it up with an FA Cup win last season, defeating Manchester City in the final. However, United’s league form was underwhelming, finishing eighth, a staggering 31 points behind their cross-town rivals and Premier League champions, Manchester City.##EDITORS_CHOICE##For several elite clubs, the League Cup has been seen as a distraction from more coveted domestic and European titles. Yet, when asked during a pre-match press conference ahead of United’s third-round League Cup clash against third-tier Barnsley on Tuesday, Ten Hag maintained that the competition still holds importance, especially as the club embarks on a new chapter under the partial ownership of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group.”I would say it’s significant,” said Ten Hag. “FA Cup, Carabao (League) Cup, it’s significant. I see all the attention from all the teams, from all the owners, from all the managers when they win a trophy, like Liverpool last year did, winning the Carabao Cup.”I saw that final. I saw all the teams battling for it. We want the same. So it’s very important in football to win trophies. You have five opportunities, and our aim is always to win all the games, so win all the trophies if possible.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8340173##The Dutch manager emphasized United’s commitment to the League Cup, saying: “No doubt, we’re aiming to win a trophy, and this is one opportunity. We take the game against Barnsley seriously.”United currently sit 10th in the Premier League table, with six points from four games. They bounced back from consecutive losses to Brighton (2-1) and Liverpool (3-0) with a 3-0 win over Southampton last weekend.There were concerns after defenders Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui, and Matthijs de Ligt were substituted due to various knocks during that match. However, Ten Hag confirmed that all three are fit for selection on Tuesday.”They’re all available and in good condition,” he said.On the other hand, the trio of Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, and Victor Lindelof will remain sidelined as they recover from injuries, although Ten Hag did not rule them out for the upcoming Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Saturday.🚨🗣️ Ten Hag: “We are involved in five competitions and we want to win them all. We take every competition seriously.I have a lot of players available and we can make choices from game to game, but for sure we have to rotate because we have to cover a lot of games. It’s not… pic.twitter.com/jDh47Gl2cT— All For United (@AllForUnited) September 16, 2024 Ten Hag also provided an update on Luke Shaw, who is recovering from a calf injury.”He is progressing well. Of course we have a plan in our head when he can be ready. But you’re always dependent on how the progress will go and you can’t make a suggestion, because there are so many factors why a rehab plan can accelerate or slow down.”There could be a first start for summer signing Manuel Ugarte, who made his debut off the bench against Southampton. However, Ten Hag remained tight-lipped about whether Antony, who has only made one substitute appearance so far this season, would feature in the starting line-up against Barnsley.”You will see what the line-up will be (on Tuesday),” he said. “We have every day training and the players have to earn the right to play.”
