Former Manchester United players Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves were in agreement after the win against Omonia that Erik ten Hag still does not have a nailed-on team.
The former midfielders made the claim, adding that the Dutch manager only had five guaranteed starters.
As per the two, Ten Hag is still unsure of who to trust aside from the five.
The five mentioned were David de Gea, Lisandro Martinez, Diogo Dalot, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes.
Hargreaves told BT Sport via The Sun, “Luke Shaw came into the side against Everton, [Victor] Lindelof came into the side, Casemiro came into the side. So he’s still trying to find the blend.”
“The rest of the positions are up for grabs, so I think there are auditions for these players to go on and play well.”
The 41-year old’s comments were echoed by Scholes, who said that Ten Hag was using the Europa League as an opportunity to understand his players better and rest those he trusts.
Scholes remarked, “He’s not quite sure what his best team is, [he is] not totally thrilled with the performances. The winning games, yeah, but I don’t think he’s got the right blend of what he actually wants.”
It’s hard to argue against the two former United star’s arguments as they are valid points.
Several supporters have slightly questioned Ten Hag’s unwillingness to rotate and rest players, especially with an upcoming match-packed and busy schedule that will see his side play games every three or four days.
He could be lauded for putting out a strong team on every occasion but the risk is that injuries and physical niggles could occur.
However, Ten Hag knows best and has done a commendable job so far. He will undoubtedly be looking to have certain regulars from which point he can then conduct more widespread rotations when needed.
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