Manchester United’s journey to Porto was marred by a significant delay due to adverse weather conditions, landing just 24 hours before the scheduled kick-off. Erik ten Hag’s team arrived in Portugal three hours later than planned on Wednesday evening, throwing a spanner in the works for their preparations ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash.
The Red Devils are keen to bounce back from Sunday’s crushing 3-0 loss to Tottenham, with the heat intensifying on manager Ten Hag.
A victory over Porto would mark their first in this season’s Europa League, following a lacklustre 1-1 draw with Dutch outfit Twente last week. United’s departure for Portugal, initially set for around 3pm, was delayed until 6:10pm due to fog and heavy rainfall.
Ten Hag’s pre-match press conference at the Estadio de Dragao was consequently postponed from 7pm to 9pm BST. Diogo Dalot was also set to face the media but he was pulled due to the delay. Ten Hag is likely to face a grilling, given United’s poor form this season, with four losses in nine games across all competitions.
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS associates will be keeping a close eye on proceedings, as Ten Hag strives to reverse United’s fortunes following a disappointing start to the season. The match against Porto is the first of two challenging away fixtures for the Red Devils ahead of next week’s international break.
Ten Hag is facing a crunch clash on Sunday against Aston Villa as the Old Trafford side strive for consistency after a rocky start. Despite a turbulent summer that saw club chiefs considering alternatives, United confirmed their support for Ten Hag, who recently had his contract extended.
In a recent no-holds-barred interview with Sky Sports, Ten Hag expressed confidence, insisting: “We are going to make a success from the season. Nothing is easy, but this is nothing for me to panic about. We can sort [the problems] out, this team can sort this out.”
The Dutchman, unfazed by speculation on his future, maintained his focus, saying: “I’m not thinking about it, I’m not anxious. We created a togetherness in the summer with the ownership and the leadership. We made this agreement, and we were all behind it.”
Emphasising United’s strategy, Ten Hag added: “We know the strategy [is to bring in] young players in a transition period. They also know in May in all my last six seasons there were always trophies and that is what we are aiming for.”
“We are going to make a success from the season. Nothing is easy, but this is nothing for me to panic about. We can sort [the problems] out, this team can sort this out.”
“I’m not thinking about it, I’m not anxious. We created a togetherness in the summer with the ownership and the leadership. We made this agreement, and we were all behind it.”
“We know the strategy [is to bring in] young players in a transition period. They also know in May in all my last six seasons there were always trophies and that is what we are aiming for.”
