Ten Hag and Shaw in agreement over Man Utd's unsung hero in Bournemouth win

03 January 2023 , 22:44

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Ten Hag and Shaw in agreement over Man Utd's unsung hero in Bournemouth win

David de Gea was picked out as Manchester United’s hero, as the Red Devils recorded their fourth straight Premier League win.

Goals from Casemiro, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford gave the appearance of a routine victory for the Red Devils, but they were indebted to their goalkeeper for a string of impressive stops. And manager Erik ten Hag and Luke Shaw both praised the Spaniard for his performance in their review of the Old Trafford win.

"I'm happy with the result. But today, it was not our best game,” Ten Hag admitted. “We have to be honest, we didn't play that smart as a team.

"We made great goals, but at times we were quite lucky, and some great saves from David [de Gea]. We could have been smarter as a team. There were big spaces at 2-0 up, sometimes we have to keep the ball and recognise when to go for goal.

"That is the next step. It is always good to win 3-0. It was a great performance for the crowd, with scoring opportunities for both goals. To win 3-0 is always good.

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"We have to go from game-to-game. The next game is a cup one, but we want to win every game. That has to be the approach. We don't want to look any further, focus on that, it will be a tough game. We need every energy in the preparation and when we kick off on Friday night."

David de Gea was impressive during Man Utd's win over Bournemouth

Shaw was back in his familiar left-back berth against the Cherries, having been deployed as an auxiliary central defender in their last two Premier League matches. But regardless of the position change, the England international was solid and helped United to yet another clean sheet.

But Shaw, like Ten Hag, accepted that without last season’s Player of the Year, the visitors may have had more joy. He said: “"A really good result. At times we got sloppy and conceded chances but David de Gea was amazing and made a number of good saves. It kept us ahead in the game and the clean sheet.

Shaw added: "It is always good to be able to try out new positions and I really enjoyed it. I will play wherever and whenever the team needs me. Back to left-back tonight and pleased to get on the scoresheet."

Erik ten Hag admitted Man Utd weren't at their best during their latest Premier League win (Getty Images)

The win keeps United firmly in the race for a return to the Champions League, with growing optimism they could yet insert themselves in the title race. In fact, should they win the Manchester derby against City later this month, they could yet move ahead of them in the table.

And Shaw has suggested that the confidence is back amongst a squad that recorded their worst ever Premier League points tally last season. "The strides we are taking are going in the right direction,” he continued.

“There is still a lot to improve on but things are really positive and we feel the confidence and belief is back. You feel it on the training ground, in the stadium and hopefully the fans are enjoying it."

Ben Husband