Erik ten Hag has admitted he is under pressure to win another trophy and prove himself again in his third season at Manchester United but believes they are on the right track after their comeback win against Brentford on Saturday.

United face a reunion with former coach José Mourinho in Thursday's Europa League game against Fenerbahce after failing to record a win in the first two rounds of the game. Ten Hag's side have conceded 17 goals in their last five away games in European competition, dating back to the Dutchman's first season as manager when they were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Mourinho led United to victory in the same competition during his time at Old Trafford, but Ten Hag admitted neither would be judged by their past performances.

“Mourinho and I have won a lot of trophies in recent years, but you have to prove yourself every year and if not, you have to face criticism, we know that,” he said. “If you don’t win games, criticism comes. We (United) are on the right track and are confident that we will achieve our goals.”

Asked if his team were contenders to win this season, he replied: “United won domestic cups after (Mourinho) left, but not in Europe.” We have two points and we know what we have to do – We have to win games.”

United will be without 10 experienced players for their trip to Turkey, with Bruno Fernandes suspended after the captain was sent off in the 3-3 draw with Porto. Ten Hag revealed Mason Mount could soon return from injury but insisted the players at his disposal can achieve a positive result.

“It’s complicated, but never easy,” said the manager. “We have to deal with it and we will deal with it as a team. We have a lot of games in a short time and we will manage them in the best possible way.

“We have made progress and I think we took a good step (against Brentford) but we need to continue it (against Fenerbahce) and again on Sunday (against West Ham). The players prefer playing football to training and we have so many games ahead of us. As long as we have enough players available, we don’t have to take any risks and we’re still doing well at the moment.”