United have managed to secure only one victory in their last ten European matches under the Dutch manager, leaving them puzzled after squandering a 2-0 lead in the first half of their latest encounter. Porto capitalized on what Ten Hag described as "unnecessary" goals before Harry Maguire, who was brought on from the bench, salvaged a crucial point for United in their Europa League campaign.
"I don't judge us at this moment; I evaluate us at the end of the season," Ten Hag stated. "We are in the process. Just wait. We need to develop this team. We will work hard and continue to fight."
Marcus Rashford made a significant impact with a goal and an assist, although Ten Hag's decision to substitute him at half-time for "rotation" raised eyebrows. Despite starting strong, it was a challenging evening for defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez.
"We scored two great goals, but we switched off and didn’t maintain possession like we did before," Ten Hag added. "Defensively, we lost focus, conceding the first goal unnecessarily, which ignited the crowd. We discussed this at halftime, yet we conceded the third goal due to poor defending again, highlighting a lack of willingness at this moment."
Despite the difficulties, Ten Hag praised the players for their determination to fight back and secure the equalizer. "It’s not always about finding the goal in stoppage time through a set piece; we also created several good chances."
Maguire, who scored the equalizer in the 91st minute, declined to comment on the implications of the draw for Ten Hag's future but expressed concern over what he called a "mental issue" within the squad when conceding goals in Europe.
"It's more about mental strength; it's about belief," Maguire said. "We need to be mindful and ensure that when we concede, we stick together and regroup."
Regarding Ten Hag's position, he noted, "I've played for this club for six years, and I understand how things work. The manager knows how to handle this situation. It's part of the privilege of playing for this club."
