According to the Mail, Manchester United manager Jens Ten Hagar's rotation strategy has sparked widespread controversy recently, confusing not only commentators but also some of the players under his command. In last week's UEFA Cup match against Porto, Ten Hag made a surprise substitution at half-time for Rashford, who had just scored his first goal and was United's most threatening attacking point at the time. This decision baffled many fans and pundits. Even more surprisingly, late in the game, Ten Hag replaced De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez with Maguire and Evans, and Maguire then equalized for his team. However, against Aston Villa on Sunday, Ten Hagar once again opted to rotate the center-back pairing, a move that did not convince Sky Sports pundit Carragher, who bluntly stated, "You can't rotate center-backs, they're dropped." Former Manchester United center-back Ferdinand also took to social media to express his doubts about the rotation strategy.
Temhag has also made significant changes to his midfield, which now consists of Eriksen, Casemiro, Kopi Menu and new signing Ugarte. Although United were plagued by injuries last season, and Temhag's desire to maximize the use of his current squad is understandable, some players have not bought into his rotation strategy and his reasoning that "the players look tired". Many players prefer to play consecutive games in order to find their rhythm during the tough early season, especially after a loss, and are eager to get back on the field as soon as possible and prove their worth with a solid performance. It remains to be seen if Ten Hagar's rotation strategy will have the desired effect in subsequent games.
