Erik ten Hag has explained his reasoning behind starting Scott McTominay against Arsenal.
Casemiro picked up a yellow card in Manchester United’s latest game meaning he was suspended for their clash against Arsenal. The Brazilian has been a revelation since joining the club and will undoubtedly be a huge miss for Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag was left with the tough decision of who to replace Casemiro with and the Dutch manager opted to play McTominay in a midfield role alongside Christian Eriksen.
Ten Hag has now explained his decision as seen in the quote below.
Ten Hag on starting McTominay: “We think he can fill in very well, we have a special role for him and I hope it will work, a little bit like last time.” #MUFC #AFC
— Shamoon Hafez (@ShamoonHafez) January 22, 2023
McTominay isn’t the same player as Casemiro, there’s no arguing that, but he’s shown in his past the passion he has for Manchester United.
Ten Hag has hinted at a “special role” for McTominay against Arsenal, so it will be interesting to see the role he plays.
The role may be hinting that he’s asked to try and handle Martin Odegaard who is in scintillating form this season and Manchester United will need to limit his time on the ball to stand a chance of winning the game.