Sameer Khan
Erik ten Hag has defended his decision to sub off Casemiro and Harry Maguire during Manchester United’s game against Luton
Erik ten Hag will not be happy with the performances of Harry Maguire and Casemiro during the game against Luton Town. Both players were booked during the first half for careless challenges and were subbed off at halftime.
The Brazilian was replaced by Scott McTominay while Jonny Evans took the field in the place of Maguire. The substitutes had a much better game than the Dutchman’s starters which should be a cause for concern.
However, a lot of people were unhappy about Ten Hag’s decision and believed that his taking both players off at halftime displayed a lack of trust in his team.
Here’s what the Dutchman had to say about his decision. (h/t BBC)
I saw the reaction from the referee and thought they could go off with the next one. With McTominay and Evans we have good replacements. Don’t take the risk. I thought it was the right decision.
Having his players sent off is exactly the kind of situation that Erik ten Hag wants to avoid at this stage of the season. Going down a man against a relentless Luton attack would’ve been devastating for United.
If Manchester United won the game it was only because of the solid defensive work of Raphael Varane, meanwhile Casemiro looked sloppy on defence. Even Harry Maguire almost gave away a goal due to a cheap turnover in the first half.
If both of these players were having a good game, an argument could be made about Erik ten Hag’s decision being wrong. However, both players had terrible games and picked up early yellow cards so it was a good decision by the Dutchman.
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One substitution that might be concerning is Luke Shaw. Yesterday was the second game in a row where he was taken off before halftime. Ten Hag should consider looking for a replacement since Shaw’s fitness seems to be lacking during the second half.
