Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has insisted that the forward players in his team must continue to do "a lot of running" if the Red Devils are to be successful next season.
The 20-time English champions made it three wins from their three pre-season games this summer with a 3-1 victory over fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were all on the scoresheet, with the former now netting in each of his three friendly appearances this summer.
Rashford and Sancho have now scored twice each, meanwhile, with the trio impressing in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who continues to be linked with a summer exit.
Ten Hag has said that the work-rate of his forward players has been key to the team's impressive results this summer, and he is hopeful that will continue during the 2022-23 campaign.
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"I hope we can convince them [the forwards] as they do a lot of work. A lot of running," Ten Hag told MUTV.
"Often you see offensive players, they miss, that is what they think, in the offence, the energy. But you can see they put a lot of energy in defence and they get rewarded by scoring goals because we are winning balls high on the pitch.
"No opponent likes to get beat on the press, in the defending line. I think it's a big advantage to do that, but you need the whole team."
Ronaldo's off-the-ball work was criticised during stages of last season, but the 37-year-old managed to find the back of the net on 24 occasions in 38 appearances, and Ten Hag continues to insist that the Portugal international will be at the club next season despite the ongoing speculation surrounding his future.
"In his career, he has shown everything. I have set my demand. We want to play in a certain way. A top player can contribute and Ronaldo is an absolute top player in our squad," Ten Hag told reporters on Monday.
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"The players dictate the way you play. Especially players who score goals because they are extremely important for a team. You construct your team around them."
Meanwhile, the Dutchman recently told reporters: "We are planning for Cristiano Ronaldo for the season and that's it. I'm looking forward to working with him. I have read [that he wants to leave], but what I say is Cristiano is not for sale, he is in our plans and we want success together.
"I spoke with him before this issue came up, I had a conversation with him and I had a good talk. That is between Cristiano and me. What I can confirm is we had a really good conversation together."
Man United will round off their tour of Australia with a clash against Aston Villa on July 23 before heading back to Europe for their final two friendlies of the summer against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano.
Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez could both make their debuts for the Red Devils against Atletico, but a deal for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is seemingly no closer to being completed.
Matt Law
