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Erik ten Hag has backed Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea despite the Spaniard's horrific performance against Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals second leg on Thursday (April 20).
United were sent home packing after a 3-0 loss in Spain resulted in a 5-2 aggregate defeat. A poor pass from De Gea saw Maguire lose the ball early in the first half. Youssef En-Nesyri preyed on the opportunity to give the hosts the lead.
A headed goal from Loic Bade at the start of the second half was followed by yet another En-Nesyri goal. De Gea was once again the culprit, as he had come way out of his box to clear a long ball. The goalkeeper, though, made a hash of things, and En-Nesyri had the goal at his mercy. The Moroccan made no mistake in lobbing the ball into an empty net.
While De Gea's mistakes wrecked havoc on the team's chances, Ten Hag defended the Spaniard:
"He is the one with the most clean sheets in the Premier League; that shows he is a very capable goalkeeper."
De Gea has kept 14 clean sheets in 30 Premier League games this season and has 21 clean sheets in 48 games across competitions. Manchester United, meanwhile, return to action on Sunday (April 23) against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup semifinals.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag bemoans Sevilla defeat
Manchester United's humbling against Sevilla was a tough pill to swallow for Erik ten Hag as the Dutch manager dissected the team's defeat.
He pointed out the key areas where they were outplayed by Sevilla. Speaking to BT Sport following his team's Europa League elimination, Ten Hag said (via Stretty News):
“We have to do better; that’s the demand. We were not composed, not calm. We didn’t beat the press; when you do, there are so many spaces behind, and it was obvious at the start how to do it."
Ten Hag added:
“We lost the battles; they had more passion, more desire, more willingness; that’s difficult to win games. We can’t run away from it. On Sunday, we have another opportunity and have to step up and show more character and personality."
Manchester United were one of the frontrunners to win the Europa League this season. So, the loss is a big blow. Ten Hag's team, though, have won the Carabao Cup this season and are in contention to win the FA Cup.
