If the board decides to sack me today just know that He is the reason for that, Because I don’t see a player that plays against the coach like He do before”, Erik Ten Hag reveals the One Man United player that is playing against Him lately

Erik ten Hag took the opportunity to explain why he made the decision to substitute Marcus Rashford at half-time, after Manchester United let slip a chance for victory in their recent match. United had been in a commanding position with a 2-0 lead, only for the match to turn dramatically as they fell behind 3-2. Eventually, a late goal from Harry Maguire, who headed in a 91st-minute equalizer, secured a draw. This was after Bruno Fernandes, United’s captain, was sent off for receiving a second yellow card. Rashford had contributed significantly to the team’s early success, scoring the first goal and assisting Rasmus Hojlund for the second, yet Ten Hag opted to substitute him at the break. He later explained that part of his reasoning was due to Rashford’s involvement in Porto’s goals.

When questioned about why he substituted Rashford, who was arguably United’s standout player at that point, Ten Hag responded: “We need to rotate our squad. Alejandro Garnacho had to come on and play. We have a very demanding match ahead against Aston Villa on Sunday, and it’s crucial that we keep our players fresh.”

Reflecting on Porto’s first goal, Ten Hag added, “I’ll need to review it, but I think the defensive effort on the left side was definitely below par tonight, and Marcus had some responsibility in that. But let me clarify, the change had more to do with giving Garnacho an opportunity and wasn’t a reflection on Rashford’s performance.”

Ten Hag also lamented United’s inability to maintain their control after such a strong start, saying, “We scored two excellent goals, but then we switched off. We lost possession and weren’t defending properly. The first goal we conceded was completely avoidable, but once you give the home crowd energy, it becomes very difficult to recover.”

However, Ten Hag was clear that he wouldn’t be making any sweeping judgments yet. “I don’t judge our team based on this one moment. I will assess everything at the end of the season. We’re in the middle of a process, and we need time. We’ll continue working hard and fighting to develop this team.”

He further broke down the game, adding, “We started exceptionally well, controlling the match and scoring twice. But after that, we lost control. The middle part of the game was poor, the ending was strong, but our defending needs to get better.”

Harry Maguire also commented on the post-match reactions within the dressing room, revealing that the players had an in-depth discussion. He said, “After every game, we analyze what went wrong and speak openly among ourselves. The manager spoke, some staff members spoke, and the players also shared their thoughts.”

Maguire emphasized that United should have defended better, especially with a 2-0 lead away from home. He said, “When you go two goals up on the road, you need to be much more solid defensively. We allowed too many gaps and let far too many crosses come into the box, which they punished us for.”

He acknowledged the need for improvement, stating, “This is becoming a frequent problem for us. Whenever we concede, we need to reset and stick to the game plan that initially put us in the lead. If we want to succeed this season, we can’t keep conceding two goals in every game.”