The game between Barcelona and Manchester United ended with the Red Devils claiming the win, but the match could be a bit more costly than expected for Ten Hag's men due to an unexpected injury setback.
When the game against Los Culés came to an end, English international Marcus Rashford was seen limping as he left the stadium, sparking concern about his fitness for the game against Newcastle on Sunday. Those doubts were increased by coach Erik Ten Hag, who could not give an exact update on the player ahead of the pivotal clash.
Speaking in the team's press conference before a key weekend in their season, coach Ten Hag asked fans to wait a bit more before he can give them either good or bad news.
"I don't know. So, players now are coming in. We have to do investigations, medical of course. Yesterday we did but straight after the game most of the time you can't say. We have to wait for a 100 per cent diagnosis, so we have to wait," Ten Hag stated.
The coach's update also revealed that Anthony Martial will not be available to play this clash, leaving Dutch striker Wout Weghorst as the sole option for the No. 9 slot if Rashford is not fit for the game.
Manchester United will have to battle an "annoying team" on Sunday - Ten Hag
Asked about the League Cup final, coach Erik Ten Hag admitted that facing Newcastle in the title clash will not be a comfortable experience, as the Magpies have shown their progress under Eddie Howe and have become a tough team to beat, mainly for their antics on the pitch that have turned them into an "annoying" side.
"It's a great team, they have a clear philosophy about how they want to play the game. "he key word is intensity, they do really well, but they're an annoying team to play against, so we have to find a way to win," the Dutch boss said.
When inquired why he considers Howe's men to be annoying, the Dutchman clarified why he used that adjective to describe his opponents with stats in his hand.
"For instance, so if you see the referee want to play an effective time. They have the lowest in the league and they are quite successful with it. So it's up to us that we get speed in the game and we are also then dependent on the refereeing as well," Ten Hag added.
