Former Dutch footballer Rene Meulensteen says Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag will want to win the EFL Cup to bring the club “back to where they belong” and feels reaching a final won’t be good enough for him.
United defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 in the second leg of their semi-final to book a 1999 Wembley rematch with Newcastle.
“He done it with Ajax in terms of winning things and there is another one here for Manchester United,” Meulensteen told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast.
“He came here only for one thing and that is to bring them back to where they belong which is in finals but winning them.
“What I like is a lot of managers would have complained about the schedule with eight games in February but he says it is an advantage because very quickly we play a lot of games and I can tell the players where they need to improve and get better – I like that approach.
“That is what he will be telling the players, all the time.”
February for Ten Hag’s side includes two legs against Barcelona to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.
Former Premier League midfielder James McFadden, added: “When your team is playing well and winning you just want more games. You can then make adjustments as you don’t have to wait too long.
“This is where Manchester United want to be. Although they wanted to be in the Champions League they are playing Barcelona which is a huge test for them. They are also a team in a rebuild but a huge test and it will show them exactly where they are.
“For players you just want to play games and the bigger the better.”
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