Erik ten Hag rejects Harry Maguire idea as Man Utd defensive dilemma emerges
Manchester United overcame their defensive woes to beat Nottingham Forest on Sunday, but more issues remain for Erik ten Hag going into a busy week.
United were without Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane for the trip to the City Ground, but goals in either half from Antony and Diogo Dalot were enough to earn them an important win in their chase for a top-four finish. Things aren't about to let up, though, with matches against Sevilla and Brighton on the horizon.
The selection issues ahead of the FA Cup semi against Brighton will be subject to much discussion in the coming days. Here are the latest news lines from around Old Trafford.
Ten Hag rejects Maguire switch
Erik ten Hag poured cold water on the idea Harry Maguire might move back to the left centre-back role before the end of the current campaign. Maguire started on the right of Victor Lindelof in Nottingham, and United's manager told Sky Sports "not this season" when asked about shifting the England international across.
"The angles are not good for Harry if he is playing on the left side," Ten Hag said. "It’s difficult for him also defending in wide areas on his left foot but I think he is more capable on the right.
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Harry Maguire partnered Victor Lindelof against Nottingham Forest (Getty Images)"Victor is very good, he can use both feet and I think he also did a brilliant job in the rest of defence and the defensive transitions. That’s why we prefer to do it with them in this way."
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Dalot sends rallying cry
Diogo Dalot was one of United's star men on Sunday, and the defender has urged the team to kick on after their win. Filling in at left-back with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia unavailable, the Portuguese defender scored the game-sealing second goal to ensure victory for United.
“We showed character, we showed personality,” Dalot said. “There was a lot of noise outside the dressing-room, but we kept calm. We knew that we're not just 11 players in this squad and we showed that.
“When you play for Manchester United, you're going to be in the spotlight every time. We knew that with the injuries that we had - important players who got injured - there could be some doubt.
“But, like I said, it was a big challenge for us to show that we have more than just 11 players in this team. We have a proper squad and I think we showed that. We showed personality, we showed composure on the ball, we showed character and we played a very good game.”
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Jones unavailable for Brighton
Phil Jones hasn't featured since the tail end of last season (Getty Images)Man Utd will be without the suspended Maguire for their trip to Wembley, but Phil Jones won't be available to fill in. United's forgotten man has not played a minute all season, and that is not set to change.
According to The Athletic, Jones has been unable to complete a United training session this season. This means he is not said to be among the options available to Ten Hag, who is sweating on the fitness of some other defenders before deciding on his starting line-up.
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"You see how quickly things can change, last week we had nine fit defenders, today we had four," Ten Hag said after Sunday's win at Forest. "Today was one step where we proved we can perform really well with those players and Thursday we have to go again and Sunday we have to go again.''
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