“Never an excuse…” – Erik ten Hag provides Man United lineup hint for Luton clash

Erik ten Hag provided a Manchester United lineup hint for their Premier League clash against Luton Town during his pre-game press conference.

The United manager and team are coming off the back of a disappointing 4-3 loss in the Champions League against Copenhagen when Marcus Rashford’s red card led to a collapse.

Before the 42nd-minute dismissal, it was ironically one of United’s best performances of the season – which wasn’t too difficult – but it seemed like it was going to be a game to build on but instead turned into another nightmare.

Yet, manager Erik ten Hag has suggested that he was happy with the performance, even when the team went down to 10 men, because of the balance that was shown across the pitch.

“I was very happy actually with the game in Copenhagen, I think it was our best minutes at 11 v 11,” he told reporters. “It was a good midfield balance as well, but all over, there was a good balance in the team.

“I think we played very well, it was just the way we wanted to see. But we have to build on that.”

Injuries have caused problems for Ten Hag so far this term and he believes that it has impacted the routines within the side.

“It is never an excuse,” he assured. “We have to win games and we have good players across the squad and they can all do the job.

“But football is about cooperation and so you need the routines. It has to [be so when it goes] blind you know where your team-mate is. When you are in pressure moments, you need to know what your team-mate is doing so you can anticipate that.”

Ten Hag’s insistence on cohesion within his side, and the fact that he was impressed by the players despite the loss against Copenhagen, suggests that he will not make any changes from that lineup barring in the centre of defence for the upcoming league fixture against Luton Town.

With Jonny Evans out injured, either Raphael Varane or Victor Lindelof will likely come in alongside Harry Maguire.