Ten Hag told he took a ‘massive risk’ vs So’ton by starting two players he was later seen rollicking

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·16. September 2024

Ten Hag told he took a ‘massive risk’ vs So’ton by starting two players he was later seen rollicking

Erik ten Hag’s starting 11 raised the eyebrows of Manchester United supporters on Saturday, though his picks ultimately paid off come the full-time whistle.

When the Reds’ team news to face Southampton was revealed, fans were surprised to see that Christian Eriksen was given the nod alongside Kobbie Mainoo, marking his first Premier League start since last season’s 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on May 6.

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Further up the pitch, Marcus Rashford retained his place over in-form youngster Alejandro Garnacho, with Amad Diallo preferred to the Argentine on the right flank. Rashford did repay his manager’s faith, though, by scoring United’s second of the game on the stroke of half-time, while Garnacho extended the victory to a three-goal margin in the closing stages.

Such impressive form amongst the forwards will undoubtedly give Ten Hag a selection headache when it comes to the forthcoming clash with Palace, but in terms of the midfield, one pundit believes he took a ‘massive risk’ with his selection last time out – and shouldn’t do so again.

Indeed, Don Hutchinson assessed the game’s affairs on ESPN, telling the panel: “I thought he took a few gambles, to be honest. I’ve said it before about Kobbie Mainoo, he can’t cover the ground, so to pair him with Christian Eriksen, I thought that was a massive risk.

“Because you look at it, the profile of two players who can’t really move. I mean, technically, both of them are very, very good, but they can get exposed.”

Eriksen/Mainoo pairing did initially struggle

Around the 20th-minute mark, Ten Hag ‘bounced up’ out of his seat in the dugout to bark orders at both Mainoo and Eriksen after they’d let Kyle Walker-Peters breeze into the penalty area almost effortlessly. Had his final ball been better, the Saints could well have opened the scoring and changed the trajectory of the result.

Yet, that wasn’t the case, and the two did settle down relatively quickly after the early caginess. That being said, you would expect to see Manuel Ugarte called upon to make his first start on Saturday after being eased into the fold with a 17-minute cameo.

(Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)