Ruthless Erik ten Hag tells snubbed Man Utd FA Cup final squad players to 'deal with it' as he aims to stop Man City's treble charge for the fans

• Ten Hag tells players to deal with being left out of final
• Knows how important it is to stop City's treble
• Dutchman confident of team's fitness in extra-time

WHAT HAPPENED? The Dutchman will be taking a tough love approach when it comes to choosing his team for the final, when United have the chance to destroy their local rivals' treble dreams.

WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking ahead of Saturday's showcase event, Ten Hag told reporters: "Of course there will always be disappointment about the starting 11 and the bench but it's a normal process in a club like Manchester United, we have to deal with it, players have to deal with it, the squad has to deal with it, I make the choices."

The manager also said that he believes his team will be able to go the distance if the match goes to extra-time, as they did in their semi-final against Brighton. All four play-off matches at Wembley have gone to extra-time, as did the Europa League final.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: United's status as the only English team to win the treble is in peril and Ten Hag knows how important it is to Red Devils' fans to protect that status by beating City at Wembley - even though he will not be using stopping the treble as a reason to motivate his players.

"If it's important for the fans it's important for us, so we will give everything to win the cup," the Dutchman said. "I know what the fans are thinking but what we want is to restore Manchester United by winning trophies, so on Saturday we have the opportunity to win a trophy [and] we don't want to be distracted by anything. It's not necessary [to discuss treble with players], it will not give more motivation to the team because their motivation is already [high] enough, it can't be more. We want to win a cup they have the opportunity to crown the season, what more do you need?"

IN THREE PHOTOS:

(C)Getty Images

Getty

Getty

WHAT NEXT? United are aiming to win their 13th FA Cup in what will be the first final between the two Manchester clubs. They will then take a four-week holiday before beginning their pre-season campaign against Leeds in Norway.