Before the 7th round of the Premier League match away to Aston Villa, Manchester United manager Jens Ten Hagar was interviewed by Sky Sports, giving his views on the team's squad rotation and attitude to the game.
Evans started the game alongside Maguire, while Lisandro Martinez and de Ligt were on the bench due to their poor performances in the midweek UEFA Cup match against Porto. In response, Ten Hag said, "It's not because of the need for more reliable center backs, but just normal rotation. As we have so many matches to play, it is important to give all players a chance to play."
Talking about the pressure of the game, Ten Hagar appeared very calm: "You always have pressure, but the pressure of this game is not more than any other game. It's also a very important game against Porto, and before that against Tottenham and Crystal Palace, every game is important. Let's not think too much about this game, we are calm and composed."
Ten Hagar also emphasized that the entire United team is focused on improving and upgrading: "Not only the team, but everyone in the club. We don't even bring up the topic of 'this is an important game'. We have to improve as a team, it's a process. You need a strong mentality in every process, but we focused on the shortcomings in the game and we have to improve on them and move forward."
On their opponents, Aston Villa, Ten Hagar spoke highly of them, "They are a very good team, that doesn't need to be discussed. It will be a challenge because they beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League and they have made some changes."
