Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho and Casemiro have dropped hints about their involvement in the upcoming clash against Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.
United started their season with a disappointing defeat to Brighton last weekend, where Joao Pedro snatched three points with a late winner. Liverpool, on the other hand, will be looking to extend their unbeaten start to the new Premier League season after victories over Ipswich Town and Brentford.
United boss Erik ten Hag and Liverpool's Arne Slot have faced each other four times before, all during their respective stints in the Eredivisie. The first two encounters saw Slot's AZ Alkmaar triumph, but Ten Hag's Ajax managed to pull back with two wins over Feyenoord.
Adding fuel to the anticipation, both Garnacho and Casemiro have shared pre-match graphics of the fixture on their Instagram stories, hinting at their possible involvement in the match, either as starters or part of the squad.
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In the build-up to the much-anticipated clash, Ten Hag took a swipe at Liverpool, reminding reporters of United's impressive trophy cabinet. He pointed out that only Manchester City have won more during his tenure, while Liverpool have only managed to secure the Carabao Cup.
Erik ten Hag has confidently claimed that behind Manchester City, his United squad has been the most successful in English football over the past couple of years, saying: "Listen, behind City we have won the most trophies over the last two years so we performed better than anyone else. Listen to me, listen to me, that's the reality. Those are the facts. This year we want to win trophies - and I am quite confident we will build up to this."
The Dutchman further remarked on his long-term approach to success at United: "That's what I have done for the last 11 years, so I am just patient and just waiting. We will continue to work on the process. We have to improve the process and aim for our next target, which is to go for more trophies."
Ten Hag also addressed the subjective nature of football success but emphasised the ultimate goal: "As I have said, not only have we progressed, we also won trophies. How a team plays is very subjective, so there's only one thing in football - and that's about the end of the season and if you win prizes and trophies or not."
The Man Utd manager went on to stress the progress made under his guidance: "I repeat myself, after City we won the most trophies in English football. I don't care if I get the credit or I don't get the credit, it's about having to build this club."
Elaborating on the development and goals within the team, he stated: "We brought young players in, we progressed young players, we won trophies, so what can I do more? As far as I know, the fans are happy with me, but it's not about me, it's about Man United - and of course we set higher targets."
Ten Hag concluded by affirming the ambitions of the club: "We have very big ambitions, the club, the leadership, the team definitely. So everyone sees the potential - and now we have to work very hard to achieve the targets."
That being said, Ten Hag will be banking on the talents of Garnacho and Casemiro to lead United to a win. Although players might share pre-match snapshots on their Instagram stories, it doesn't guarantee they'll be in the starting line-up.
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