Fresh legs needed…
Manchester United have a chance to bounce back after their embarrassing defeat to Liverpool on Sunday when they take on Real Betis in the Europa League on Thursday.
Erik ten Hag finds himself in an interesting position, where some players are clearly in need of being dropped/rested, but he also can’t afford another loss after such a bad result.
His team need to win, and he needs to pick the right XI to get the job done, while also taking into account the loss vs Liverpool.
Here are some changes we think Ten Hag should make on Thursday.
Man United vs Real Betis
1️⃣4️⃣ goals in 8️⃣ #UEL matches so far 👊#MUFC || @EuropaLeague
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 7, 2023
Raphael Varane looked fatigued on Sunday, and was partly at fault for the first goal that changed the game at Anfield. He is somebody that needs to be managed carefully, so he should come out of the team (and perhaps the squad) for the match on Thursday.
Whether or not Ten Hag would like to push Luke Shaw into centre-back, or bring Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof into the starting team, Varane should be rested and given time to get over such a bad loss.
Casemiro is another player who seriously struggled on Sunday, and he should be taken out of the team. It is believed he was nursing an injury against Liverpool, which makes sense, as he looked a shell of the player he has been all season.
Scott McTominay could come into the team in his place, or Marcel Sabitzer could potentially play further back in the midfield.
Finally, Alejandro Garnacho deserves a start, and given how good he has been in the Europa League it would make sense for that competition to become one where he is a consistent starter.
Be that instead of Marcus Rashford, Antony or Wout Weghorst, is up to Ten Hag, with all three of them needing a break for different reasons.
Jadon Sancho could easily come in instead of Bruno Fernandes, but it might be an idea to leave Fernandes in the team so he gets a chance to silence his many critics from the weekend.
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