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A section of Manchester United players have reportedly been left puzzled by Erik ten Hag’s bizarre rotation policy in recent games.
As United played out a 3-3 draw against FC Porto in the Europa League last week, Ten Hag elected to take off Marcus Rashford at half-time.
This is despite the fact that Rashford had found the back of the net, registered an assist for Rasmus Hojlund’s goal and was easily United’s most potent player during the opening 45 minutes.
However, despite all this, Ten Hag dubiously substituted him and brought on Alejandro Garnacho in his place. The result of this decision was that United’s attacking threat diminished and were it not for a headed finish by Harry Maguire in added time, the Red Devils may have suffered a defeat.
After the final whistle at the Estadio do Dragao, Ten Hag claimed that he withdrew Rashford for rotation purposes.
In the subsequent game vs. Aston Villa in the Premier League, Ten Hag ditched his preferred centre-back pairing of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez, instead opting for a partnership of Maguire and Jonny Evans.
Maguire and Evans did well as a United but the decision raised a few eyebrows. Club legend Rio Ferdinand posted a message on X that simply read, “Rotation.”
“Rotation”
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) October 6, 2024
Yet again, Ten Hag remarked that he benched Martinez and De Ligt in a bid to rotate and keep his players fresh.
However, according to The Daily Mail, the Dutch coach’s eagerness to chop and change regularly is causing some confusion within the dressing room.
“Ten Hag’s rotation policy is puzzling some of his own players just as much as it has confused the pundits.”
“While it’s understandable that the United boss would want to maximise his squad after struggling with injuries for much of last season, some of the players are non-plussed that the reason given by Ten Hag and his coaches for their omissions is that they look tired.”
“Many of them would prefer to keep playing and find their rhythm during a difficult start to the season, particularly after defeats when most players want to get back on the pitch as soon as possible.”
United return to action on Saturday, 19 October, when they host Thomas Frank’s Brentford at Old Trafford.
Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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