Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag and defender Diogo Dalot hold minutes silence for Bobby Charlton before previewing their UEFA Champions League clash with Copenhagen
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00:00 Hello.
00:01 So, welcome everyone to Carrington this afternoon.
00:08 Manchester United is mourning the loss of Subabi Charlton,
00:12 one of our greatest ever players and a giant of the global game.
00:16 Please be upstanding and join us in a minute's silence
00:20 in memory of Subabi.
00:22 [PAUSE]
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00:34 [PAUSE]
00:48 [PAUSE]
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01:11 [PAUSE]
01:14 Thank you.
01:25 We'll now proceed with the pre-match press conference
01:31 for our UEFA Champions League game against EFSA Copenhagen tomorrow,
01:35 with Eric Ten Hag and Diogo Dalot.
01:37 Let's start with Samuel.
01:39 Eric, it's obviously been a difficult couple of days for the club,
01:44 coming here, with a cap on reception, and working for the club
01:48 since Subabi Charlton was a player here.
01:50 What's the atmosphere been like among the squad and the staff at Carrington?
01:54 As you say, Bobby was a legend, a giant, not only for Manchester United,
02:05 but for Mundial football, and so his legacy was...
02:11 So what he left were the standards, the high standards we have to live by every day.
02:17 And of course, first of all, our thoughts are with his family,
02:23 with his wife, with his children and grandchildren,
02:27 but also what he meant for Manchester United,
02:31 the importance for Manchester United, the standards he set,
02:36 we have to live by.
02:38 The last couple of days, they were emphasised.
02:42 Just turning attention to the game tomorrow night,
02:45 are you likely to have any players available back from injury?
02:49 Yes, we hope. I said it also last Friday, Seto, he got ill for Saturday,
02:59 so he was fit, he trained all week last week,
03:04 and yesterday he was for a part back in training,
03:09 today he will train, and then we have to assess if he is ready and can fit,
03:16 if he can be involved in the squad, so we have to wait for that.
03:20 What prompted that development for him to be available?
03:24 We have to see if he is fit enough to be part of the squad for tomorrow.
03:29 Eric, is it easy to put the emotion of tomorrow to one side
03:39 and concentrate on what is a really, really important game for football?
03:44 Yeah, of course.
03:49 We are professionals, it's our job, but you can't ban emotions.
03:55 But use the emotions in the right way.
03:59 I think Diogo did very good last Saturday, he scored a goal.
04:04 So in the memory of Bobby Charlton, I saw a goal from him,
04:10 I think it was on Wembley, from distance, like Diogo did, so use that in that way.
04:16 Diogo, for you, clearly you don't know Bobby Charlton,
04:22 you would never have seen him play, but you are aware of the impact
04:26 of what's happened, not just on Manchester United, but football as a whole.
04:31 How does it feel for someone to say, like your manager just said,
04:36 score a goal that's as appropriate on Saturday as yours was?
04:43 First, it's a big privilege when you combine Sir Bobby's goals,
04:49 and they relate to one of your goals of your own,
04:53 I think it's always a privilege to hear something like that.
04:58 But I was fortunate enough to get to know him since I arrived to the club,
05:05 he was always there after the games with us,
05:09 no matter if we won the game or lost the game,
05:13 he was always there to be ready to give you a word of appreciation.
05:17 Sometimes he would even say that we have to play a little bit better,
05:22 but that just represents the standard of this club,
05:27 and the standard that we wanted for this club.
05:31 And I think this is something we have to look back and see,
05:35 if legends like this got the club to win the best titles, the best games,
05:42 scoring the best goals, we have to follow those steps,
05:46 and he was definitely one of those that you should follow the steps.
05:51 OK, one over here.
05:55 Sky.
05:56 Diogo, talking about legends like Sir Bobby,
05:59 obviously growing up in Portugal I suppose Eusebio is probably regarded
06:03 as the legend of Portuguese football, the pair played against each other
06:07 in that '68 European Cup final.
06:09 How aware were you of what Sir Bobby was, what he represented as a player?
06:14 It was something that individually, when I arrived to the club,
06:19 I always tried to know a little bit more about the history of the club,
06:23 whether it was close history or even a little bit more longer history,
06:29 but hearing about Sir Bobby was something that you had to have,
06:36 no matter what, if you were here for one day or for several years,
06:41 you obviously know him, and this type of legend is someone you should follow.
06:49 Not just the impact that he had on the club, but I think for English football,
06:54 for world football he was an example,
06:59 and for someone like me that likes to follow good examples,
07:03 he was definitely one of those, and he will be present on me for the rest of my career.
07:09 Can I just ask you about the game tomorrow, given the state of the group,
07:13 is it a must-win against FC Copenhagen?
07:16 We have to win every game, but if you see the group,
07:20 you lose the first two games, and definitely you have to win.
07:25 Eric, obviously a disappointing result against Galatasaray,
07:32 but one of the positives from that game was Rasmus Hoyland's performance,
07:37 scored two excellent goals, very different goals,
07:40 up against his former club tomorrow.
07:43 Do you feel that that game offered a glimpse of the real potential he has,
07:52 and they're the moments to whet the appetite and excite United fans
07:57 about what might come in the years ahead from him?
08:01 First of all, we have to work on our routines, he's not so long,
08:08 he misses pre-season, he misses the first four games,
08:12 but I think from the moment he came in he gives the team a lot.
08:18 But when the routine, the combination and the cooperation will be better,
08:22 I think that split moment will give him more time and make better decisions,
08:29 to score more goals.
08:31 But I think the goals you referenced against Galatasaray were definitely two brilliant goals,
08:39 as well as the one in Munich.
08:43 But I think he's a player who will always be in scoring positions in our team,
08:50 and I'm sure, I'm confident, as well as for Marcus Westgate.
08:58 They will always be in every game, when we as a team do what we have to do,
09:03 they will always be in scoring positions, and then it's about finishing.
09:08 I think when you analyse all the games so far,
09:12 we have seen that they are in scoring positions.
09:16 It's a question for Mr Tanak.
09:23 Christian Eriksen hasn't started a game since 20 September,
09:28 and against Sheffield United he started out on the bench,
09:33 even though Casemiro was out with an injury.
09:36 How far is he from the team, and is he just not good enough at the moment to start a game?
09:41 Definitely, but he takes part in every game,
09:46 and you see his importance when he's on the pitch,
09:51 and he has a big influence on our team by creating.
09:57 He's a great player, a brilliant player, and he's very important for our squad.
10:04 Just to sum up, and just the reason why he's not starting then?
10:09 We have many good players, we don't have a squad with 11.
10:14 We have a squad where there's internal competition in the back,
10:20 and we have some struggle to line up, we don't have so many numbers,
10:25 but in the midfield department there's huge competition in our squad.
10:33 Rob?
10:34 Diogo, you obviously won the last two games,
10:37 I just wondered what the sense within the squad was about the start of the season so far,
10:41 and whether you think it's been a bit of a turning point in these last two games.
10:46 I think every game for us is an opportunity to show that we want to build confidence,
10:52 we want to build momentum, obviously when you win games it's easier to get that confidence,
10:59 and we have shown that in these games when you probably don't play the way you would like to play,
11:07 you have to find a way to win, and I think we've shown that we have that quality,
11:12 we have fantastic players that can show up and turn up and give us what we need to win games,
11:19 and I think we have to use these wins to build this momentum and confidence for the next games.
11:27 Jeremy, at the back.
11:29 Would it be a really fitting tribute to Bobby from the team to actually win this game tomorrow night,
11:35 given it's the first one at home since he passed away?
11:38 I didn't hear the first part of your question.
11:41 Would the perfect tribute to Bobby be for the team to actually win the game tomorrow night?
11:46 Definitely. First we want to win, to tribute Bobby Charlton,
11:54 but also you want to always do that in a certain way, and that is what we are aiming for,
12:00 but it's not always possible. In football sometimes you don't play that well,
12:07 but still you have to find a way to win.
12:10 So I was happy Saturday that we could show tribute by a win,
12:16 but also the way we scored that second goal.
12:19 Another Danish question?
12:21 Yeah, another question from Denmark.
12:24 Erik Rasmus Harlow plays against his former club tomorrow,
12:27 do you sense on Rasmus that this is going to be a special match for him?
12:32 You don't. When you have a little bit of empathy, ability,
12:41 then you know it's a special game for him.
12:45 He grew up there in this club, and you know he will be highly motivated,
12:51 but that's for me, for the team, but especially for him,
12:56 to send that in the right direction.
12:59 The right balance.
13:01 Erik, I just wanted to ask you, Martial and Hoyland are both excellent strikers,
13:08 Martial's link-up play is very good, have you ever considered playing them together
13:13 because a lot of the time they substitute for each other?
13:16 Yeah, it's possible, but they can play together.
13:20 So far we didn't do that in games, but I can see that they can play together
13:26 because Anthony Martial is also able to play from a side.
13:30 And Diogo, can I just quickly ask you as well, brilliant goal at the weekend,
13:35 it was very similar to the one you scored in Las Vegas in pre-season,
13:39 is that something you work on in training,
13:41 or does the manager tell you to get forward when you can?
13:44 What do you think in your mind when you're getting forward for Manchester United?
13:47 Yeah, it's something that definitely we work on,
13:50 because we train that especially for us to get a balance on the team
13:54 when the ball is on the other side, to try to have a good rest defence,
13:57 and in that moment that was the position for me to be in there,
14:01 because I believe Souf was a little bit more on the left,
14:06 so that is the kind of position that the opposite full-back has to be in,
14:09 to balance a little bit more the team.
14:12 And then, like I said after the game,
14:16 it's something that I think I can do from the distance, scoring goals.
14:22 I remember the one in pre-season against Dortmund was very similar,
14:28 so I've just tried to score and I was fortunate enough to do it, yeah.
14:35 Hi, Eric, just wanted to ask you what kind of atmosphere you're expecting at the stadium tomorrow,
14:40 and as a coach, how can you harness that to your advantage?
14:44 I think it's always special every night, more preferred,
14:49 and the fans are always so behind us, so there's a strong bond.
14:54 I remember the last home game against Brentford,
14:59 even when the game was not going in our direction,
15:02 they stayed behind us in difficult moments,
15:07 in moments where there's adversity around Man Utd,
15:11 the fans are still with us, we are with the fans, we are fighting together.
15:15 So definitely tomorrow, after passing away from Sir Bobby Charlton,
15:20 their hero, their legend, their giant,
15:23 I'm sure there will be even more emotional evening, I expect, tomorrow night.
15:31 Last question, Ken.
15:33 Eric, you've been asked about a tribute in terms of a victory tomorrow night,
15:38 but do you see Sir Bobby's spirit as something that can be an inspiration for you
15:43 to go in and be successful this season, and repeat some of the success you had last year?
15:48 He is in front of Old Trafford, with Dennis Law and George Best,
15:54 and he is always with us, and they are always a huge inspiration for us,
16:02 every day, so in every game.
16:05 Thank you very much.
16:08 Thank you.
16:09 Thank you.
16:10 Thank you.
16:11 Thank you.
16:12 [BLANK_AUDIO]