Erik ten Hag praises ‘great personalities’ after biggest win of his Manchester United career against Barcelona

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said his team have “great personalities” after their 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the Europa League on Thursday.

United had appeared to be struggling after the first half, when they came off second best against Xavi Hernandez’s side.

An 18th-minute penalty converted by Robert Lewandowski had the Spanish side ahead on the night and on aggregate, and Ten Hag’s men looked to be struggling to find the level of performance that earned them an impressive 2-2 draw in the first leg.

Ultimately though, a goal each from Brazilian pair Fred and Antony put United through to the last 16 as one of the unseeded teams in the next round.

Speaking to BT Sport after the match, the Dutch coach was asked if this was his biggest win as United manager, and he answered positively.

“Oh yes, I think so, yeah,” he began. “We have had some good wins over Liverpool and Arsenal, really good wins, but this, two legs, one tie, Barcelona the leader in La Liga, eight points clear of Real Madrid and we have seen Real Madrid this week, if you beat them, it’s a big win.”

Ten Hag acknowledged his side’s slow start, saying: ”The first half was flat, we had big chances, but we were 1-0 down and it was unnecessary.”

He pointed to young South American wide players as two who made the difference, Brazil’s Antony and Argentine Alejandro Garnacho.

He continued: “We know if you bring Antony and Garnacho you get speed, they don’t fear anyone, especially in front of the Stretford End.

“We have some great personalities, and if you have setbacks, they can move on, this is a good motivation for the season.”

Ten Hag concluded by looking forward to the Carabao Cup final with Newcastle, rather than worry about who he may face in the next round of the Europa League.

“It doesn’t matter for me, as I focus on Newcastle United, it’s the only thing that counts,” he said. “We will respect every opponent, but if we have strong belief, we can do it.”