Sassy Colin
Death or the gladioli!
Embargoed section
"Luke is more complicated in this moment, let's say it's less of a chance he will make it but still a very small chance. He had a setback, now we have to find out how far it is."
"We're working to bring players back. Licha (Martinez) had a good session now as well, others on the pitch like Rapha (Varane), Victor Lindelof, we have to see how far they are on Sunday. Tomorrow we're off, Saturday we have training."
"Harry Maguire has a fair chance that he will be available."
"I saw yesterday, I felt the fans, they were all very positive about the mood, spirit and ambiance in the stadium. That is very good and it shows the strong bond between the team and the fans."
"I don't think there is a way back. In principle it makes football more fair. But we have problems. We have to make improvements."
"Confidence is a great thing. This season we almost didn’t get the turning point, now we can make a step through. I remember the Arsenal game and in the 87th minute, I thought we won it. That could have given a big lift to the team. We never got this but a game like yesterday will help us, especially the young players. It will give us lots of confidence."
"It's all about trophies but you need an opportunity to win a trophy. So last ten years, not so many trophies in this club but we have an opportunity to win two trophies in two years."
"Yeah, Harry Maguire is unavailable but for the rest, all of the players you mentioned are available. Tomorrow final training and we make final decisions but the way I see it now it looks good (that Mount, Lindelof and Martial are available)."
"Maguire? It (the injury) didn't heal as expected."
"He looks good. That is a career ups and downs, a down can also give fuel and that is what I see in training, he will be highly motivated, speak with your feet, highly intelligent, he has had a big career, I'm sure he will get over this and get more goals."
"Every game I want to win and that's it, I just focus on this game as I do for every game, I know it's an important game as it's about a trophy."
"No, but it's FA Cup final, is a big event and we are there, even in the season is not in our way we are there, we have an opportunity and it's never been easy but we have to go for it and we will go for it, we have to believe as we did last season as we have done often against good opponents, we play our best football and I expect that again on Saturday."
"Yes, of course but my focus is… until Saturday I only think about this game."
"I have nothing to say. Just focusing on the job I have to do and that is first win the game on Saturday and then the project, keep going with the project."
"I came here to win trophies, Saturday, the next opportunity we achieved this, we earned this opportunity as a team and now we have to go for it and in the same time in the last two years, of course, after every season you review it and we will see where we are in the project, things we have to change, we spoke lately about it, very good things, players coming up, values coming up and on Saturday we have a big opportunity to win the next trophy."
"I think we were very competitive until a VAR decision at Old Trafford, a tough decision I thought. No one understood, we haven't seen this in the rest of the season, a decision in such moment. At Etihad, for 70 minutes we were very good in the game, we had opportunities to make a second goal, they had a bench and on Saturday we will have a bench."
"Harry Maguire missed the game (vs Liverpool), was a precaution but is still a question mark for Saturday. So we have training, we have to see whether he is fit enough or not to be available. Victor [Lindelof] played but also he's a question mark and also Azza [Aaron Wan-Bissaka] and Luke Shaw are both question marks, we have to assess them tomorrow (Friday)."
"That is individual based, everyone has a different background, we put them on off-season programmes but they have different starts while we were in USA, we will assess them, make a decision whether they start, come from the bench or whether they don't play."
"We think about Licha to be involved in the game."
"We know he's a high class player and just bringing skills in. Last season, he had a very bad season, a very tough season for him because of all injuries and now we are very pleased he had a good pre-season and I'm sure from this point on he will contribute to the team if he stays fit, it counts for every player."
"When we have news, we will announce it. You've seen the market, it is quite quiet still. We have done business, we have done two deals, it's about timings, the market, the market options, the right moment and the right things."
"I don't go into details, where we are now in recruitment, what we are working on. We know what we are doing, we are in a good position with the squad and just wait, patience and in the right moment we will tell you."
"We did already, we bought already. As I said, we have a squad where in every position there is double occupation."
"Jadon can play across the whole frontline, he's an option for more than one position and it depends how you set up the team, you can look at your own tactics, opponents that fit the best and Jadon had some abilities you can use in a game, tactics and the next game."
"So, we always want to win, also in all the friendlies. It's about trophy, we will put out a team that is very competitive to win this trophy. It's also pre-season, we don't go into big risks with players, the normal approach in to this game."
4pm UK time apparentlyIs there no pre-match press conference today?
Ten Hag on this season's ambitions
"We know our targets, we know that we are in the right direction, we know we have won two trophies, we know our game model, so now we have to integrate the new players and if they can improve the game model and improve the team levels. And take it from there. I have always very high expectations but we want to go for trophies."
Post match
I don't know what further context there was, but taken at face value, that statement is simply true. What else was said that bothered you about this?"You have inherited lots of problem, while Arne Slot has inherited a great squad".
Are these journalist our employees or something?
I don't know what further context there was, but taken at face value, that statement is simply true. What else was said that bothered you about this?