Ten Hag: Spurs loss makes it ‘obvious’ why we signed striker

LONDON — Erik ten Hag has said it is “obvious” why Manchester United signed a striker this summer after his side struggled in front of goal in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday.

United were clear on their need to add a striker in the transfer window, with ESPN previously reporting the club’s recruitment department had a database of around 1,800 forwards at the beginning of their search.

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Despite Harry Kane departing Spurs this summer — he joined Bayern Munich last Saturday — United opted instead to sign 20-year-old Rasmus Højlund in a deal that included a £64 million ($81m) up-front fee, plus another £8m ($10m) in add-ons.

After seeing his side fail to score, which included registering just three of their 14 first-half shots on target, Ten Hag said he believed his side have goals in them but admitted the arrival of Højlund, who has yet to make his debut due to injury, is timely.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag watches from the touchline during the Premier League defeat at Tottenham Hotspur. Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

“We believe these players, last year as well, can score goals. It’s also obvious why we signed a striker,” Ten Hag told a postmatch news conference.

“If all goes well, Marital is on the way back, Højlund also is coming, so we will have more players to score a goal. The players on the pitch can also score goals.”

United edged to a narrow, unconvincing 1-0 victory against Wolves on Monday, with Saturday’s result adding to their slow start to the 2023-24 Premier League season.

Meanwhile, Spurs played at home for the first time since losing Kane but put on an eye-catching second-half display that saw new manager Ange Postecoglou pick up his first win in charge.

“We really need energy, particularly at home, and it really showed today. You could tell the crowd were up for it,” Postecoglou said.

“I thought the manner in which we played was a great start. When the final whistle goes, from my perspective, that’s fantastic fertile ground for me to keep going.”