Erik ten Hag was satisfied with Manchester United's performance in a 1-0 victory over Fulham on Friday night, but felt they were not clinical enough and criticised their attempts to close out the match.
Debutant Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench and scored a winning goal for the Red Devils in the final phase. Alejandro Garnacho to entertain the crowd at Old Trafford.
Fulham had chances of their own, but Manchester United had many more, with Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount and Garnacho all abandoning their lines when presented with good opportunities.
Ten Hag was generally pleased with what he saw from his team, but felt the finishing was lacking and that the match could have been decided earlier than the 87th minute, when Zirkzee finally scored.
“We kept them under pressure, they struggled and we created a lot of chances, I think,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports.
“We should have scored earlier. That's the only criticism I have of the team. Dead. Dead in the penalty area.”
Zirkzee was the hero at his new club and Ten Hag was happy that he and his substitute Garnacho scored the goal together, showing the selection how important they all are.
'Subtitles [are] always very important, it was nice to see, first game that you take a substitute and he scores the winning goal,' said Ten Hag. 'I think that is very good for the team process, for the spirit in the group. Everyone sees how important substitutes are and they have to be ready for it.'
Zirkzee wasn't the only debutant for the Red Devils on Friday night. Noussair Mazraoui started at right back and Ten Hag was impressed with the newcomer, especially since he's not fully fit yet.
“I know him like that, he's a great defender,” Ten Hag said of the Moroccan he previously trained at Ajax. “But also very controlled on the ball, attacking.
'He's not in top condition at the moment, when he's 100 percent fit he can do a lot more, but I'm very pleased with his performance. He did 70-75 minutes and now he has to build up his condition.'
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