"Definitely should have started the game" - Ian Wright claims Erik ten Hag made selection mistake in Manchester United's loss to Man City
Arsenal icon Ian Wright has claimed that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag made a mistake with his selection in Machester United's FA Cup loss against Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola's side stepped one step closer to a historic treble by beating their local rivals 2-1 at the Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday, May 3.
Manchester City made a stunning start as skipper Ilkay Gundogan volleyed home the fastest goal in an FA Cup final after just 13 seconds.
Manchester United responded quite well as they equalised before half-time through Bruno Fernandes’ penalty. However, it was Gundogan who struck again in the second half to secure a 2-1 win for the Cityzens and clinch the FA Cup.
Ian Wright stated that Erik ten Hag should have started Argentine sensation Alejandro Garnacho, who made a solid impact off the bench in the second half. Ten Hag opted for a front-three of Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho but the frontline never looked sharp enough to trouble the Sky Blues' backline.
Wright insisted that Manchester United looked a lot stronger up front after Garnacho's introduction. He told ITV, as quoted by Metro:
"I thought Manchester City were just very efficient. I thought we would see more from Manchester United. They improved after Garnacho came on and he definitely should have started the game for me. He proved he had a little bit more thrust about him. Other than that, Manchester City were in total control really. It was quite tepid from United in the end."
Alejandro Garnacho has enjoyed a solid breakout season and looks like a superstar in the making. The 18-year-old has scored six goals and produced six assists in 36 games across competitions for the Red Devils out of which only 11 have been starts.
Roy Keane blasts 3 Manchester United stars for switching off early on in FA Cup final loss against Manchester City
Manchester United legend Roy Keane hit out at the trio of Fred, Christian Eriksen, and Casemiro for their role in Manchester City's opening goal in the FA Cup final.
Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring for the Cityzens at Wembley after only 13 seconds. The Germany international passed the ball back to Stefan Ortega from the kick-off and then fired a stunning volley from outside the box from the same move within 13 seconds.
Keane, while acknowledging the quality of Gundogan's strike, was critical of Fred, Eriksen, and Casemiro's roles in allowing the German so much time and space. Speaking on ITV, Keane said (via Metro):
"It’s a brilliant strike, a brilliant goal. But defensively I think United were switched off. I would be really critical of the three midfielders – Casemiro, Fred and Eriksen – they’re all in wrong position and they’ve all made wrong decisions 10 to 12 seconds into a game. Not good enough from experienced players. They were really switched off, it’s poor from Manchester United."
Manchester City will next play Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final on June 10 at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.