Three changes Erik ten Hag should make as Man United face Crystal Palace in Premier League clash

Manchester United will travel to Selhurst Park on Wednesday to face Crystal Palace following their derby day heroics and Erik ten Hag will need to rotate his team.

It was a superb Old Trafford victory on Saturday afternoon against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, however, it was also a match that was particularly physically demanding.

With another away fixture on the weekend, against Premier League table-topping Arsenal, Ten Hag will need to be smart with his line-up decision mid-week.

Whilst the United manager will not want to jeopardise his team’s chances of three points by changing too much, he’s also shown that United are now able to adjust their side without much of a drop-off in team cohesion.

There are multiple players who could, and perhaps should, be rested against Palace with half an eye on facing Mikel Arteta’s side.

Marcus Rashford has contributed to 22 goals for The Reds so far this season, with his latest being the winner against City on the weekend.

However, United’s star man fought through the pain in that encounter after a knock to his hip in the first half. With his importance being significant for Ten Hag, being rotated for this fixture would be a sensible decision.

Rashford will still be able to contribute from the bench if needed. The latest signing of Wout Weghorst and the impressive form of Alejandro Garnacho can hopefully mean that he’s allowed a full game off in order to recover fully for the weekend.

Raphael Varane is another that the Dutch manager should look at leaving out for this mid-week clash. The defender was incredible, alongside Luke Shaw, up against Erling Haaland on Saturday.

The Frenchman’s injury concerns of last term have been dealt with well this season after Ten Hag placed him on a specific pre-season programme in the summer.

Three games within five days could be a risk for the defender, however. And with Lisandro Martinez expected to start after remaining on the bench against City, it would mean that United’s defence would not drop hugely in quality.

Casemiro has shown his utterly vital importance to United in recent weeks. However, the defensive midfielder (4 yellows) is just one yellow card away from a suspension in the Premier League. After United’s visit to London on Wednesday, the number needed for suspension will increase to 10.

Ten Hag could take the risk and play his midfielder but a booking would be a dampening ahead of the Arsenal game.

The only problem with this decision is that there is no alternative in the squad. Fred or Scott McTominay could be paired with Christian Eriksen but neither offers the attributes, most importantly the defensive protection, that Casemiro does.

It could be similar to Rashford, where the Brazilian is ready to come from the bench if desperately needed. But it would be a blow if he plays and then picks up a yellow card.