Why Erik ten Hag substituted Luke Shaw at half-time vs Aston Villa

Luke Shaw was substituted by Erik ten Hag at half-time during their 2-1 win in the Premier League against Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

It was Scott McTomiany who rose to the occasion once again as Manchester United defeated Aston Villa in the Premier League, with Rasmus Højlund grabbing his fifth Premier League goal in just as many games.

The 2-1 victory has seen Erik ten Hag‘s squad go within five points of the top four, which is a necessity for the remainder of this season.

Read More: “I see in the dressing room…” – Erik ten Hag details key Man United partnership ahead of Aston Villa clash

Luke Shaw started against Villa as left-back alongside Raphaël Varane, Harry Maguire, and Diogo Dalot in defence but was substituted at half-time due to what was an unknown reason.

He was replaced by Victor Lindelöf, and it has now been explained why the England international was brought off.

Ten Hag has explained that the decision to take the left-back off was down to “precaution”.

“Precaution. He had some complaints and we can’t take any risks with him because he’s had any injuries in the past,” he said.

“We’ll have to see how it goes in the next few days. It’s not an advantage to lose him, everyone knows my philosophy to have left-footers at left centre-back and left-back. We have to make compromises, and it is not to our advantage.”

Ten Hag’s men will now next travel to Luton in the league as they aim to win their fourth fixture in a row in the competition, continuing their unbeaten start to 2024.