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MANCHESTER, England: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said wasted chances remain a major problem after his side beat Fulham 1-0 in their Premier League opener on Friday.
An optimistic Old Trafford crowd that had dominated much of the first game in England’s top-flight season was somber after watching their team struggle to create chances.
When they did show quality, they were mostly wasted until substitute Joshua Zirkzee scored the winner on his debut.
“I think one area we have to get right is how to win in the box,” Ten Hag told reporters. “We saw that in the friendlies and last week against Manchester City (in United’s Community Shield defeat).
“We created enough chances and shouldn’t have waited for the final victory. We had to be calmer and beat the opponent.
“Maybe it’s because the season has just started and the players have to go all out. We have enough players with scoring ability.”
That winning goal came from Dutch striker Zirkzee, who came off the bench to tap in Alejandro Ganacho’s cross.
“He (Zirkeze) was injured at the end of his career at Bologna and therefore was not selected for the (Netherlands) European Championship.
“We have to make up for some deficiencies. He has some qualities that we don’t have and he showed them right away.”
“He linked up really well. We had some really good links in possession. But he has to get into the box to score goals and he did that tonight. He’s a Manchester United player and for a striker to come in and score his first goal is very good.”
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