Erik ten Hag told Manchester United star who should be dropped for crunch Aston Villa clash

The Red Devils look a crunch sojourn to Villa Park successful the Premier League this play successful their last crippled earlier the planetary interruption that could yet person a immense interaction connected the manager’s Old Trafford future.

United spell to Villa connected the backmost of a hugely disappointing tally that has brought wretched 3-0 location losses astatine the hands of Liverpool and Tottenham, positive a last-gasp decision astatine Brighton successful summation to lowly draws with some Crystal Palace and FC Twente.

The unit connected Ten Hag has ramped up importantly erstwhile again successful the aftermath of past weekend’s thrashing by Spurs, with his broadside heading to Porto connected Thursday evening hopeless for a triumph successful their 2nd Europa League fixture of the play to springiness their caput manager immoderate much-needed breathing space.

However, what transpired successful Portugal was a genuinely chaotic affair, with United - who saw skipper Bruno Fernandes sent disconnected for the 2nd lucifer successful a enactment - impressing successful the aboriginal stages to instrumentality a 2-0 pb wrong 20 minutes earlier going successful astatine half-time level and past needing a stoppage-time equaliser from fit-again substitute Harry Maguire to snatch a precocious 3-3 draw and narrowly debar different costly defeat.

Such a effect has lone seen the scrutiny connected Ten Hag’s presumption rapidly summation further inactive up of the clash with high-flying Villa, who person mislaid lone 1 lucifer crossed each competitions truthful acold this play and volition beryllium soaring with assurance aft toppling Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich successful the Champions League connected Tuesday night.

The Dutchman volition surely beryllium pondering changes to his underperforming squad for that pivotal crippled successful the Midlands, with erstwhile United midfielder Owen Hargreaves urging him to bring successful Maguire from the commencement aft different below-par outing from £42.9million summertime signing Matthijs de Ligt, who was fixed a torrid clip astatine the Estadio bash Dragao by a subordinate Chelsea came precise adjacent to signing successful the summertime successful the signifier of Spain Under-21 striker Samu Omorodion.

"Harry volition play astatine the play against Villa. I deliberation he'll person to," Hargreaves said successful his relation arsenic a pundit connected TNT Sports. "De Ligt struggled today, Samu is simply a ace explosive and almighty player, but Ollie Watkins, Jhon Duran... that's not going to get immoderate easier. So he's got immoderate large calls to make."

Former Bayern centre-back De Ligt has been singled retired for dense disapproval during United’s caller struggles, including by Jamie Carragher aft the abysmal nonaccomplishment to Spurs.

“In each concern determination successful that archetypal half, 2 monolithic chances and the goal, successful De Ligt, a subordinate they brought successful for immense money, he’s wholly retired of presumption each the clip truthful helium ends up having to spell flying into challenges,” Carragher said.