Ten Hag hails Man United after EFL Cup final triumph
Erik ten Hag wants his Manchester United players to celebrate winning the EFL Cup, before targeting further success.
It brought an end to six years without a trophy for the club, and handed manager Ten Hag another sign of improvement since his arrival.
“You have to celebrate,” he said at a post-match press conference, with the cup on display in front of him. “This is not a common day, [we] won a trophy.
“This trophy means something, that’s the feeling I get in the UK. We have to celebrate but after that you have to keep going.”
He added: “[We] know that it’s worth [it] to invest, to suffer, to sacrifice, and to know that you have to give every day your best to [allow you to eventually] celebrate.
“It’s about glory and honour and if you want to win something, you have to do it.”
The win came just three days after United’s victory against Barcelona in the Europa League playoff round, and Ten Hag was delighted with the energy his team showed so shortly after such a big performance.
“It’s a massive performance that tells you we are fit, physically and mentally, we had energy. I think it was a great performance,” he said.
Ten Hag left Ajax for United at the end of last season, and explained his “love” for the club led to him agreeing to join, before suggesting his players need to leave their own legacy over the next few years.
“Maybe it was a risk [to leave Ajax] but I am a little bit stubborn,” he said. “I really love United, when I see the shirts, when I see the legacy of Alex Ferguson… this team needs to make its own legacy. When this opportunity came I thought this was the right team for me, I wanted to be part of it.”
Club owner Avram Glazer was in attendance at Wembley and celebrated with Ten Hag and the players after the win.
“He was really happy for the club, as owner, he really wanted to be part of it,” Ten Hag said. “You could see that when he was in the dressing room. It was good that he could be part of it.”
Ten Hag then left the press conference, having to be reminded not to forget the trophy before he exited, joking that he would have to win more to replace it.