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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has spoken out after his side's 3-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial struck in the first half for the Red Devils, with Fred on target in the dying stages. And the Dutchman was delighted with his side's showing as they took all three points.
Manchester United had gone into their match with Nottingham Forest looking to build on their Carabao Cup victory over Burnley last week.
And they did exactly that, scoring three goals on a comfortable evening at Old Trafford.
Rashford continued his electric form, with the United star opening the scoring after a fine corner from Christian Eriksen to bag his 10th goal of the campaign.
Martial then doubled the Red Devils’ lead in the 22nd minute, with the France international’s effort slipping under the body of Wayne Hennessey in the Forest goal.
And Fred made the result safe in the closing stages after the Brazil international had come off the bench.
After the game, Ten Hag opened up on what he thought of United’s performance and admitted he’d warned his players in the dressing room that they must be more clinical.
"I told this to the players in the dressing room, we have to score more goals, we created so many chances and we have to finish the game earlier,” he said.
“You need to be more clinical and our players can score more. We have to be ruthless."
Ten Hag had previously expressed a belief that United were ‘progressing’, saying: "The players have grown in the season and all the players performed really well at the World Cup.
“Now [the objective is] to stay on that level, that performance and progress game to game."
Another talking point that Ten Hag was quizzed on was Cody Gakpo, who is now poised to join Liverpool having previously been expected to move to Old Trafford.
The Netherlands international will be moving to Anfield for an initial £37million after the Reds agreed a deal with PSV Eindhoven for the player on Monday.
But Ten Hag refused to be drawn into talk about Gakpo, shrugging off United’s failure to land the 23-year-old by saying: "We are always in the market but it has to match the sporting and financial criteria.
“We will do what we can do bring the player we need in. I don’t talk about individual cases.
“We are looking for a striker, it would be good with so many games coming. We want to stay in all the leagues we are playing in and you need numbers in the squad."
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Man Utd news: Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial celebrate in Nottingham Forest win (Image: GETTY)
Rashford spoke out after the game as well after the United star bagged his 10th goal of the campaign.
And when quizzed on his goal, the England international said: "I feel comfortable in those positions and I want to score goals.
“If I can keep getting myself in positions like that... I've spoke to them about putting me in the box for corners because I'm usually on the edge of the box!
"We didn't practice it too much but it was one from the training ground.
“We've seen they're very man-to-man and if you can shift them to the back half of the goal then you can get a good chance on goal."
And when asked about his best position and goalscoring target, he added: "I think it depends on opposition, it depends on the personality you're playing against.
“More often than not I prefer to play on the left but if there's a weakness in the middle or if there's a certain player I feel I can exploit I like to have the freedom to move and do that.
"Every forward has a number they want to try and reach.
“For me it's to score more than I've ever scored in a season so for me I think it's 22, 23.
“I need to try and keep scoring and affecting the games."
