"It’s time to lose", "No excuses at all" - Manchester United fans not happy with Erik ten Hag's starting XI against Bournemouth
Manchester United fans are less than impressed with Erik ten Hag's starting lineup to face Bournemouth today (May 20).
Ten Hag has made no changes to the side that beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 on May 13. David de Gea starts in goal, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw in defense.
Meanwhile, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes are in midfield, with Antony, Jadon Sancho, and Antony in attack. Despite Ten Hag fielding a winning team fans are unhappy.
Marcus Rashford misses out due to illness, with the English forward failing to recover in time for the clash with Bournemouth. He has been the side's protagonist this season, scoring 29 goals in 53 games across competitions. He also sat out the win over Wolves.
Meanwhile, Diogo Dalot starts on the substitutes bench against the Cherries at the Vitality. The Portuguese full-back has been Ten Hag's preferred right-back for the majority of the season.
However, Wan-Bissaka has started to break back into the starting lineup and has impressed. As a result, Dalot has started playing second fiddle as was the case against Wolves last weekend.
Manchester United will be eager to continue their pursuit of Champions League football with a victory against Gary O'Neill's side. They sit fourth, one point above fifth-placed Liverpool with three games remaining. They also have a game in hand over their Merseyside rivals.
However, one fan doesn't think the Red Devils will prevail against Bournemouth due to Rashford and Dalot's absences:
"No Rashford No Dalot = No win. It’s time to lose."
Another fan doesn't think there can be any excuses for Ten Hag if his side loses at the Vitality:
"I dont care how crap we are away from home. varane is back. garnacho is back. we're fighting for top 4. No excuses at all 14th place Bournemouth cannot take any points from this game today. I'm expecting bruno to score from the halfway line and antony is 100% scoring a curler."
Here's how Twitter reacted to Ten Hag's starting lineup to face the Cherries:
Manchester United boss Ten Hag praises Jadon Sancho
Manchester United manager Ten Hag has insisted that Sancho is showing improvements as he looks to ignite his Old Trafford career.
Sancho, 23, joined the Red Devils from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 for £73 million and was regarded as one of Europe's most exciting attackers. However, the English winger has struggled for form since making the move. He has scored six goals and provided two assists in 37 games across competitions this season.
Despite this, Ten Hag has moved to praise Sancho and claims that the forward is improving game after game. He told the media (via UtdPlug):
"I think he [Sancho] is improving. If you look at his performances, he had good performances against Wolves, against Spurs. He's doing well. He has to keep improving."
Sancho was sent for individual training in the Netherlands by Ten Hag during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He lacked confidence after such a poor start to life with United.
With Manchester United expected to sign a world-class striker this summer, Rashford will expect to be handed the left winger's role. Hence, Sancho may need to start replicating the feats he achieved with Dortmund quickly. He scored 50 goals and provided 64 assists in 137 games during his time at Signal Iduna Park.