Erik ten Hag had said in the build-up to the Real Sociedad game that the rotation would be key with the games scheduled to arrive quickly and abundantly in the coming days.
And rotate, the Dutch manager did, with six changes from the team that decimated Arsenal, including a first starter for Casemiro and a return to the starting eleven for the likes of Fred, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.
Despite the changes, United were expected to start their Europa League campaign with a win, but their mini-renaissance came crashing down when they suffered a 0-1 loss at the hands of Real Sociedad.
Despite the shakeup, players like Diogo Dalot, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen started the game, highlighting their importance to the Ten Hag system.
Interestingly, Aaron Wan-Bissaka was named as a substitute, but as The MEN’s Samuel Luckhurst pointed out, he ended up in the director’s box just before kick-off.
ETH is not a fan of The Spider
He had missed the match against Leicester City due to a “small complaint” and was also absent from Arsenal’s squad of the matchday at the weekend.
It was damning to see Dalot walk off at half time with Lindelof taking his place at right back. The Dutch coach’s bizarre tactical stunt highlighted his lack of confidence in the former Crystal Palace defender.
One quirk of last night’s match was that Wan-Bissaka was on the bench but then appeared in the director’s box just before kick-off. Ten Hag said he missed Leicester last week with a “small complaint”. #mufc
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) September 9, 2022
There were multiple reports during the summer transfer window that United were looking to add in that department with Wan-Bissaka set to be offloaded.
But the 26-year-old did not receive too many offers, with the only offer coming from his former club. The amount was deemed too low and the offer was immediately rejected.
Nicknamed ‘Spider’, Wan-Bissaka came in for £45m and was a guaranteed starter with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but lost his place as soon as Ralf Rangnick entered the picture.
And that theme has continued with the Dutch manager preferring his full-backs to join the attack and be comfortable on the ball, characteristics the Croydon-born defender lacks.
It will be interesting to see if Ten Hag opts for Wan-Bissaka in games where the team will be under pressure or if he sticks with Dalot and Lindelof. January could see the full-back start looking at options in search of regular playing time.
