Erik ten Hag urged to drop Man Utd star for Aston Villa tie
Manchester United were held to a 3-3 draw by FC Porto in the UEFA Europa League
Owen Hargreaves believes that Erik ten Hag must consider dropping Matthijs de Ligt for Manchester United’s crucial match against Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Dutch defender had a particularly challenging night as United squandered a 2-0 lead, ultimately losing 3-2 to Porto in their Europa League clash on Thursday.
With Bruno Fernandes sent off for the second time in just five days, De Ligt’s replacement, Harry Maguire, managed to head in a late equalizer.
Given the circumstances, Hargreaves suggests that Ten Hag may have no choice but to start Maguire over De Ligt for the trip to Villa Park.
A disappointing result could put Ten Hag’s position at risk, especially considering the team’s poor start to the season.
“Harry will play at the weekend against Villa. I think he’ll have to,” said Hargreaves.
“De Ligt struggled today, Samu (Omorodion, who scored twice for Porto) is a super explosive and powerful player, but Ollie Watkins, Jhon Duran… that’s not going to get any easier.
“So he’s got some big calls to make.”
Hargreaves added: “There was a lot going on.
“There were so many holes defensively.
“Manchester United didn’t stop any crosses, and then to go 3-2 down after being 2-0 up was ridiculous.
“The middle part of the game was crazy.
“That’s what it’s been like for a couple of years.
“Manchester United fell apart.
“At 2-2, we were massively fearing for Manchester United. Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt were really really poor tonight and Casemiro as well.”
Ten Hag once again emphasized the need for patience, insisting that his Manchester United team is still a work in progress, even in his third season in charge.
“I don’t judge us in this moment,” he told TNT Sports.
“I judge us at the end of the season.
“We are in the process. Just wait.
“We have to develop this team.
“We will work and continue. We will fight.”
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