"It’s bizarre, really bizarre" - Pundit questions puzzling decision from Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag
Former West Ham striker Dean Ashton has slammed Erik ten Hag's decision to deploy Harry Maguire up front during Manchester United's UEFA Europa League match against Real Sociedad.
Manchester United played their final Europa League group stage game against Sociedad on Thursday (3rd November). They earned a narrow 1-0 victory over the Spanish club, courtesy of a goal from Alejandro Garnacho.
However, that was not enough for the Red Devils to finish top of the group table. A 2-0 win against Sociedad would have seen them progress directly into the Round of 16 of the competition.
Ten Hag notably played Maguire, who came on as a substitute for Garnacho late in the match, as a striker in a bid to find another goal. His efforts, though, went in vain as Sociedad held on and finished as group winners.
Why Harry Maguire was used a striker against Real Sociedad 😳
It was bold of the Dutchman to deploy the defender up front on Thursday, but Ashton was not a fan of the decision. The former West Ham striker even dubbed the move 'bizarre'. He said on talkSPORT:
“Has Erik ten Hag worked on this on the training pitch, Harry Maguire as a centre forward? If he has, fair enough. But if he hasn’t and it’s a spur of the moment thing… it’s bizarre, really bizarre.”
Ashton went on to claim that Manchester United only have themselves to blame for finishing second in their group. He also insisted that playing Maguire in attack sends the wrong message to the likes of Anthony Elanga, who was left on the bench. He added:
“Man United have come second in their group and they’ve only got themselves to blame. Real Sociedad have done a real job on them in the second half.”
“It’s laughable to bring on Maguire up front at the end, what does that say to the likes of Anthony Elanga?”
Having finished second in their group, the Red Devils now have to play an extra round in the Europa League. They also risk having to face the likes of Barcelona, Juventus and Ajax, who have dropped out of the UEFA Champions League.
Manchester United face Aston Villa this weekend
The Red Devils, though, will now turn their attention back towards the Premier League. They are set to face Aston Villa away from home in their 13th top-flight match of the season on Sunday (6th November).
The match will notably be Unai Emery's first game in charge of Villa, who recently sacked Steven Gerrard. The Spaniard has won two, drawn three and lost four of his nine matches against Manchester United so far.