Erik ten Hag tells two Man Utd players to step up ahead of Nottingham Forest clash

Erik ten Hag has singled out two players to step up as Manchester United travel to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

Manchester United‘s last game was one for the history books as they defeated Aston Villa 3-2 in a comeback victory at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.

Second-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho (x2) and a first Premier League goal for Rasmus Højlund saw Erik ten Hag‘s men fight back from being 2-0 down in the final game of 2023 at Old Trafford.

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It was a very mixed performance, with poor displays in the first 30 minutes being coupled with a fantastic second 60 minutes, with Erik ten Hag praising the balance that his front three showed on the evening.

The balance on Boxing Day was very good with Garna (Garnacho) on the right, Rasmus (Højlund) in the middle, and Marcus Rashford off the left,” he told Sky Sports. Hopefully, we can continue that.”

However, Ten Hag was also quick to single out his full-backs, saying they must step up to become more involved in the attacks, but also admits that they have so far been unable to due to the injury crisis.

Against Aston Villa, Aaron Wan-Bissaka started at right back due to Diogo Dalot needing to cover for Luke Shaw on the left-hand side, and unless Shaw can regain fitness in time for the fixture on Saturday, this will likely be the combination that starts at the City Ground.

“It is not only about the wingers. You also want the full-backs there. But we have often had to make compromises over the first half of the season. Diogo Dalot is right-footed and on the left side. It can work very good, but it is not always beneficial for your strikers.

“With Garnacho on the right, you get a right-footer, a different type of player who can go inside but also go outside. We want those dynamics with swapping positions, combinations, getting in behind, bringing it out of the triangles and, from there, serving our strikers.”