Erik ten Hag has confirmed he won't be handing starts to either Zidane Iqbal or Kobbie Mainoo against Fulham, saying that each player has to earn their place in the line-up.
Manchester United have already qualified for the Champions League following Thursday’s 4-1 win over Chelsea and have an FA Cup final against Manchester City to look forward to next weekend.
However, Ten Hag is not taking a backseat approach to the final-day clash with Fulham, with a result that matches or betters Newcastle’s against Chelsea guaranteed to secure a third-place finish for the Reds.
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And so he confirmed that academy breakthrough duo Mainoo and Iqbal would not be starting the game as a result.
When asked by Stadium Astro whether either would be fielded, Ten Hag said: “No, that’s not going to be the case because they have to prove themselves and prove their position.
“The attitude here always is that we want to win games. It doesn’t matter which competition or where we are but that has to be the routine. So we take this game seriously as well, we want to keep this third position in the league.”
Mainoo was handed his full debut in United’s 3-0 League Cup win over Charlton in January, lasting an hour. He earned subsequent substitute appearances in the FA Cup fourth-round win over Reading and 3-0 Premier League triumph over Leicester.
However, the last time he made a first-team matchday squad was in the 3-1 FA Cup quarter-final victory over Fulham back in March.
Meanwhile, Iqbal has failed to play a single competitive first-team minute since Ten Hag’s arrival at United, albeit featured in pre and mid-season friendlies.
The 20-year-old has made the matchday squad 17 times this campaign but is yet to get onto the pitch since his late cameo debut in December 2021.
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