Ten Hag: Man Utd not fully prepared for Fulham Premier League opener

Ten Hag acknowledges that his squad is lacking in both numbers and fitness ahead of the game against the Cottagers.

"The team is not ready but the league starts," said Ten Hag. “There are more managers who definitely have this problem but we have to make a start.

“We can’t hide from it. We can’t run away from it. We have to deal with it.”

He also said: "It's not about the players who are not available.

"It's also what I said always last season: it's about the players who are available and we have a good group, we can make a strong selection."