Sameer Khan
A closer look at why Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire were missing from Manchester United’s starting XI
As reported by Manchester Evening News, Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire were missing from Manchester United’s starting lineup against Brentford because they had not trained for the game.
Erik ten Hag put forward the same squad that he did during the team’s FA Cup tie against Liverpool. While his men emerged victorious that day, they couldn’t pull off a win against the Bees.
The Red Devils were ahead in the 96th minute. However, Brentford were not done and equalised the score during the 99th minute of the game. The game may have been a draw but the Bees should’ve won by a large margin.
Erik ten Hag’s defence had no legs to support them. They were making it too easy for Brentford to infiltrate and get a clean shot at the goal, which explains how the Bees ended up taking 31 shots.
Here’s what the Dutchman had to say about his decision to bench Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire. (h/t Manchester Evening News)
“They are back from injuries, they are not fully back in their rhythm, they need game practice and also in training they need to catch up.”
The Dutchman added that he had players in backup, so he decided to keep his two stars away from the action. However, Manchester United desperately needed the services of the two players who are arguably their best defenders.
The result might’ve looked a lot different if Lisandro Martinez was on the pitch. Moreover, Argentina called him up during the international break, so United should’ve been able to get him ready for the game.
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If the Red Devils had to bench Martinez due to their own negligence then they’ve paid the price. Erik ten Hag should consider himself lucky that Brentford’s players were misfiring for most of the game.
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