16 February 2024 , 15:43
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Erik ten Hag has warned his Manchester United players to be ready for Luton’s Kenilworth Road test – but doesn’t see why it should feel any different.
The Red Devils take on Rob Edwards’ relegation battlers on Sunday at their 11,500-capacity stadium. The Hatters have managed to beat Newcastle and Brighton on their home patch, while Liverpool only managed a 1-1 draw in November thanks to a 95th-minute goal from Luis Diaz.
Arsenal and Tottenham both escaped with narrow wins to prove that it is not going to be an easy place for big sides to visit. Ten Hag is hoping his United side continue their good run in 2024 after three Premier League wins in a row put them back into contention for Champions League qualification.
But he insists they shouldn’t fear going to the hostile Kenilworth Road. The Dutchman said: “The pitch, is it smaller or longer? 11 v 11? No referees are coming? Every ambience is different, of course, that is what I want to say.
“And we have to deal with the circumstances and it's about playing football, 11 v 11, on the pitch, with refs, and we have to make it our game. It doesn't matter who you face, if you play the best or the worst or in between, it doesn't matter.
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“We respect every opponent and definitely we are not in a position to underestimate any opponent, so we will not do. We have to play our best because we have seen their performances across the season are very good, and especially in the last weeks, they are really improving. I have a lot of respect for this team, and we have to play our best football."
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Luke Shaw is a major doubt for Sunday’s clash after he was substituted at half-time in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa as a precaution. Ten Hag has yet to rule him out but his other left-back Tyrell Malacia remains unavailable and there appears to be mystery over his return date.
Malacia has yet to feature this season because of a knee injury and has suffered numerous setbacks in his rehabilitation. With Aaron Wan-Bissaka also now out for ‘weeks’, Ten Hag is short of full-backs again, with Diogo Dalot the only recognised one fit.
When quizzed on Malacia, the United boss said: “Yeah, he had setbacks during his rehab process. It takes too long, it's bad for him. Bad for us. But now, we turned a point and it's positive, he will return soon on the pitch. I don't think then it will take long before he's returning to the team training."
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