Erik ten Hag said Wout Weghorst's deployment as a No.10 was to aid Manchester United's pressing against Barcelona in the first leg of their Europa League play-off.
Weghorst started his ninth match running for United but dropped behind Marcus Rashford, who was the only United player to score in an engrossing 2-2 draw at Camp Nou.
Rashford has plundered 14 goals in his last 16 games and has already equalled his season-best tally of 22 from 2019-20, yet United's next highest scorer is Bruno Fernandes on seven.
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Weghorst has managed one goal in nine games since he arrived on loan from Burnley for the remainder of the season and he squandered a one-on-one in the first half with the game goalless.
"It's more tactical but also to get some other players in good positions in the whole front three; Bruno, Rashy and Jadon," Ten Hag explained. "But also to get a good press on and I think the plan worked well.
"Other players can score: Bruno, Jadon, they can score as well. Wout of course can score as well and they will score. But in the end, it doesn't matter who scores but in such a game, when you create five or seven 100% chances you have to finish that more, it's quite clear."
Ten Hag disputed the suggestion Barcelona's 76th-minute equaliser, which came from Casemiro ceding possession inside his own third, had anything to do with "brave" passing.
"It had nothing to do with brave," Ten Hag stressed. "The formation is no good, and scanning is obviously also not good, it had nothing to do with braveness, it was a mistake, especially from that formation.
"He (Casemiro) could have done better but it is a team. I talk about the formation - the formation is not good and that is why the mistake is coming."
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