Manchester United's defensive duo Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez are struggling, and that was again the case tonight against FC Porto in a 3-3 draw. The Red Devils fans were excited to see the Argentine 'Butcher' joined by the Dutchman when he arrived from Bayern Munich in the summer.
However, they have looked vulnerable game after game and were at fault on several occasions in tonight's draw. De Ligt failed to clear his lines allowing Samu Omorodion to pounce and the Spaniard gave him and Martinez a torrid time all night.
Ten Hag decided to bring the duo off for Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans late on and the Reds suddenly looked more comfortable. Their former captain was the hero, powering home a late header to grab a point after the visitors had gone down to 10 men following Bruno Fernandes' sending off.
Ten Hag has to start Harry Maguire over Martinez or De Ligt against Aston Villa
Maguire has been reliable so far this season and arguably been the best center-back with his aerial ability and strength. He spared Ten Hag's blushes with his powerful header and has staked his claim to start against Aston Villa on Sunday (October 6).
Manchester United make the trip to Villa Park without a win in their last four outings. The pressure is growing on Ten Hag amid a disastrous start to the season and he'll need his defence at their best against an in-form Villans side.
Unai Emery's men secured one of their most European nights on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League. They are flourishing with Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran bagging the goals and they'll be tough to handle this weekend.
De Ligt and Martinez's poor showings mean Ten Hag needs to wield the axe on one of them. They were heavily criticized after a 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend. Maguire might have started against Porto if it weren't for an apparent fitness issue.
Manchester United raced into a two-goal lead courtesy of goals from Marcus Rashford (7') and Rasmus Hojlund (20'). They looked comfortable but defensive capitulation allowed Porto back into the game through Pepe (27') and Samu Omorodion (37').
Samu grabbed a brace (50') to turn the game on its head and give Ten Hag more problems to deal with. His night didn't get any better when Fernandes saw red for a second bookable offense (81').
However, Maguire nicked a point for the Reds in injury time (90+1) to ensure they came away with a point. It's a difficult period for the team but the English defender's header may just have saved Ten Hag's job for now.
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