‘What we need’ - Erik ten Hag outlines Manchester United aim for Carabao Cup

Erik ten Hag is looking to win the Carabao Cup for a second consecutive year and hopes a victory in Manchester United’s opening tie against Crystal Palace will help build momentum for upcoming games.

The Dutchman ended United’s six-season wait for a trophy by going all the way in last year’s competition, beating Newcastle 2-0 at Wembley thanks to goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford.

The duo could feature against Palace on Tuesday evening, although Ten Hag is likely to sanction a number of changes ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with the Eagles in this week’s double-header. That said, the United boss still wishes to go for the jugular.

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“It is only a few months since we lifted the Carabao Cup at Wembley Stadium and we all remember what a great feeling that was,” Ten Hag writes in his pre-match programme notes.

“It was an important competition for us last season and that has not changed this year. We want to defend the trophy, so as we welcome Roy Hodgson and Crystal Palace tonight, this is an opportunity for us to keep moving in the right direction.”

United have won just three of their opening seven games, which comprises narrow wins over Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Burnley. The Reds kept their second clean sheet of the season against Burnley on Saturday and Ten Hag is hoping the result coupled with a win over Palace will build momentum.

He adds: “We want to win so we can reach the fourth round, of course, but it is also important for us to build on the positive performance and result we earned at Burnley on Saturday evening.

“Consistency is what we need now, not only from game to game but also