Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has struggled to get the best out of his team this season, and the treatment of two of his senior players has come under scrutiny
Former Manchester United star Louis Saha has urged Erik ten Hag to be careful with his treatment of Casemiro and Raphael Varane amid a tough season for the club.
United have recovered some form in the league after a shaky start, but find themselves on the verge of European elimination after throwing away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw with Galatasaray. The result means even a victory over Bayern Munich in their final group game might not be enough to see them through to the Champions League knockout stages, while anything less than three points would guarantee their elimination.
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Neither Casemiro nor Varane featured in the 3-3 draw in Istanbul, with the former injured and the latter benched after losing his place to Harry Maguire. Saha recognises the message from Ten Hag that no player is too big to be dropped, but still has his reservations.
“The thing I can see with ten Hag is he tends to be willing to make more harsh selection decisions on the players that have way more experience than the young players who still have a lot to learn,” the former France striker told BettingOdds.com. “These players are the finished product, and it’s clear ten Hag will say if you don’t perform for two or three games then you are out, which maybe gives a strong message to the rest of the players that if Varane or Casemiro can be dropped, then anybody can be.
“That could be good, but it is a risky strategy for ten Hag. I feel like you have to give those players a bit more respect because they didn’t join United to sit on the bench.”
Varane hasn’t started a game since the 4-3 defeat to FC Copenhagen in early November, with Victor Lindelof partnering Maguire in Turkey. Casemiro made a brief return from injury in United’s Carabao Cup exit against Newcastle but had been hooked at half-time in his last league outing against Brentford in October.
Raphael Varane was an unused substitute for Manchester United at Galatasaray ( Image: Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock)
United are the top scorers in their Champions League group, with 12 goals in their five matches. However, a leaky defence means they have picked up just four points in those fixtures.
Early goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes appeared to have put United in control at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium, though Hakim Ziyech brought Galatasaray within a goal of their rivals at half-time. Scott McTominay restored the two-goal advantage, only for Ziyech to embarrass visiting goalkeeper Andre Onana with a second free-kick before substitute Kerem Akturkoglu made it 3-3.
“We are going in the right direction, so I know we will be successful in the long term, but if you want to stay in the Champions League you need to win these games,” Ten Hag said after the latest result. “It’s not about individuals. Of course, individual errors in football can make a difference and you take responsibility for it, but it’s always about the team.”
