Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag heaped praise on Luke Shaw as he explained why he was selected ahead of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof to start in central defence against Barcelona.
Ten Hag made three changes to his starting line-up for the trip to the Camp Nou. In defence, Aaron Wan-Bissaka came in for Diogo Dalot at right-back while Raphael Varane was restored to the team in place of Harry Maguire – with Luke Shaw starting again in the heart of the defence, with Tyrell Malacia at left-back, due to Lisandro Martinez’s suspension.
Ten Hag explained of his defence selection to BT Sport ahead of the game: “Luke Shaw is proactive and we have to go forward. Tyrell Malacia has to push Raphinha back and then Shaw has to come in, dictate and take the initiative. I push them a lot to do this and he is capable of it.
“They are both quick and they can cover the ground and space behind the left-back area.”
In midfield, Casemiro returns amidst his Premier League suspension as he replaces Marcel Sabitzer – who was unavailable through suspension for this game. He partners Fred in the midfield with an attacking four of Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sacho, Marcus Rashford and Wout Weghorst.
Ten Hag won six trophies during his time at the helm of Ajax, including three Eredivisie titles, and is now aiming to win United’s first trophy since 2017. He has won 26 of his 36 matches at the helm so far, a win percentage rate of 72.2.
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United’s two-goal victory at Leeds on Sunday brought Ten Hag’s side to within five points of Premier League leaders Arsenal. The Gunners have a game in hand but the Dutchman has revolutionised the Red Devils this campaign.
United are into the final of the EFL Cup – as they look to end their six-year drought for silverware – alongside reaching the Fifth Round of the FA Cup and are now facing Barcelona in the Europa League knockout stage. They are the only European club who are still competing on four fronts this season.
Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez was full of praise for the Dutchman ahead of the meeting in the Europa League. It is the first time that the two coaches have gone head-to-head in their careers, with their clubs among the favourites to win the competition this season.
"Ten Hag is a great coach," Xavi added. "In my mind I believe that somehow [reversing] the situation of United was no easy task and he's accomplishing it.
"They are excited again, the club, the fanbase and also the way they play does a lot. He changes things offensively, defensively, everyone's working very well, so it's a tough rival for us and he's a very interesting coach."
