Owen Hargreaves says Erik ten Hag is left with no other option but to bench an out-of-form Matthijs de Ligt for Manchester United’s pivotal encounter with Aston Villa on Sunday.
De Ligt endured a forgettable performance as the Red Devils relinquished a two-goal lead, eventually trailing 3-2 to Porto in their Europa League match on Thursday evening. Adding to the drama, Bruno Fernandes received his marching orders for the second time in a week, setting the stage for De Ligt’s substitute, Harry Maguire, to nod in a crucial leveller.
Former United star Hargreaves believes that Ten Hag has to opt for Maguire against De Ligt in the face-off at Villa Park, especially considering the potential repercussions of another disappointing result after a tumultuous start to the campaign.
“Harry will play at the weekend against Villa. I think he’ll have to,” Hargreaves said on TNT Sports. “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 didn’t hold back in his critique of United’s overall defensive efforts either. “There was a lot going on,” he continued.
“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.”
Meanwhile, United boss Ten Hag called for patience once more, emphasising that his team is still evolving despite this being his third season at the helm.
Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: “I don’t judge us in this moment,” and “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.”
Additionally, Ten Hag clarified that his decision to take off Marcus Rashford, who had found the net earlier, at the interval was a tactical move aimed at rotating the squad, not because of an injury concern.