Gary Neville admitted that he 'woke up deflated' on Friday morning after Erik ten Hag claimed that his Manchester United players were not ready for the Premier League season. The Dutchman made those comments on the eve of United's opening game against Fulham to spark concern ahead of the new campaign.
Speaking in his press conference on Thursday, the United boss said: "The team is not ready but the league starts. There are more managers who definitely have this problem but we have to make a start. We can't hide from it. We can't run away from it. We have to deal with it."
Neville touched on Ten Hag's comments during United's game against Fulham, admitting that he was left dejected when he woke up on Friday morning. He went on to explain that it might have been a misunderstanding, with Diogo Dalot telling him otherwise before kick-off.
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"I must admit I woke up earlier this morning, saw that and I was a bit deflated," said Neville, who was on commentary duties for Sky Sports. "Diogo Dalot in his pre-match chat in the tunnel did say he has been misunderstood and it wasn't quite right."
Ten Hag might have been hinting that some of his players were behind schedule in terms of preparedness after playing at the Euros and Copa America over the summer. Alternatively, he may have been suggesting that his squad was not fully ready because he was planning on making more signings before the end of the transfer window.
The 54-year-old has already welcomed a host of new faces to the United dressing room but the Red Devils are still believed to be chasing further additions.
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They are thought to be stepping up their efforts to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who is said to be keen on joining United this summer. It has been reported that his agent, Jorge Mendes, flew into the UK on Tuesday for additional talks regarding the proposed switch.
The likes of Piero Hincapie and Ferdi Kadioglu have also been linked with United heading into the final weeks of the window. Ten Hag was quizzed on transfers by Roy Keane ahead of kick-off on Friday and his response suggested that more incomings could be on the horizon.
"We cannot stand still, but also it depends on what happens in the market," said Ten Hag when asked by Keane if he wanted to sign more players in the coming weeks. "I'm happy with the squad and when we have this squad I am quite confident going into the new season."
