Erik ten Hag gives verdict on Manchester United duo

Manchester United will face off with Aston Villa on Saturday morning in their latest pre-season friendly.

United head into the game looking to make it three wins on the bounce after seeing off Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace so far this summer.

Ahead of the tie, Erik ten Hag spoke to the media on Friday and discussed a number of topics.

One of the topics was Manchester United youngsters James Garner and Hannibal Mejbri.

Garner had an excellent 2021/22 on loan with now Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest, and there was some hope among United fans that they would see Garner handed a first-team role this season.

When speaking about Garner on Friday, though, Ten Hag admitted he is yet to see much of the midfielder as he has only just been integrated into training:

“James Garner integrated into training this week, so I haven’t seen him. I don’t have a full impression of him and I want to see more. I will then answer the question, and make conclusions and decisions,” said Ten Hag.

On Hannibal, he added: “Hannibal Mejbri, he plays some minutes now and I think he did quite well, in training as well. He makes quite a good impression. I think they do well [youngsters].

“I also know the standards in the Premier League are really high and it’s always about are they ready to take the responsibility to play, to contribute. That’s what I have to prove and I will take my decisions. It’s clear some of them have potential.”

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