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Lisandro Martinez, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund are just a selection of the first-team players United have been forced to do without for large parts of the 2023/24 campaign.
Injury issues have hit Ten Hag particularly hard in defence, with left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia at risk of missing the remainder of the season, leaving United without a senior option in the position. Even so; rivals Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City have also had to deal with crippling setbacks this term.
But Ten Hag is adamant that 'no other team' could have dealt with the restrictions forced on him. "First of all, I don't think they have had as many injuries as we had and in key positions," he said.
The riled-up United boss was then reminded that City lost talisman Kevin De Bruyne for four months and goal machine Erling Haaland for two months, to which he responded: "But they had [Julian] Alvarez as a striker - it's not a bad replacement."
Ten Hag has won 61 of his 100 games since taking the reins at Old Trafford, but he feels as though his victory rate would have been up there with the Premier League's elite sides if he had his top players ready and available.
"We've had big setbacks, but we keep going and have a strong mentality. We keep fighting and keep pushing the team in the right direction."
United will be without Shaw, Martinez, Mount, Hojlund, Malacia, Wan-Bissaka, Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire when they welcome Everton to Old Trafford for Saturday's early Premier League kick-off.
