Erik Ten Hag faces ‘reality’ before Manchester United’s Barcelona test

Barcelona. Manchester United. A packed Camp Nou. A Thursday night. Oh, that. Erik ten Hag described this Europa League playoff as the clubs’ “reality” right now but insisted that they are on their way back to a better place, with both teams needing a “reset” and this meeting now offering a measure of their recent revival. The United manager has also admitted that he does not know why he was unable to convince Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to move to Old Trafford in the summer.

“It’s good [to meet],” the United manager said. “We both have the ambition to be in the Champions League and not just be there but really [have an] impact on the competition – get out the group, reach the semi-finals, the final, even win it. But the reality is that we are here. That tells you that both clubs need a reset. We are both going in the right direction and it is exciting to face each other because it will help us. You know where you are. It is a good test and from this test we can get better.”

According to Luke Shaw, United were “nowhere near where we should have been” at the start of the season but they have now won 12 and lost just one of their last 15 games. Barcelona are also rebuilding and have won 14 and drawn one in the same period. This game has been seen in Catalonia as a test of how good Barcelona really are and Shaw, who said he did not yet know if he might play at centre-back, insisted the same was true for United.

“We have learnt and grown, and that is showing in our performances,” he said. “This is a big game and it will show us where we are.”

They have done so without their prime target in the summer, after De Jong resisted United’s overtures – and Barcelona’s attempts to make him leave. He has since become a