Erik ten Hag reveals why Matthijs de Ligt has been dropped

Very few people anticipated the squad choice that was made. After Thursday, it seemed that Harry Maguire had to take the field, but Jonny Evans's entry makes a significant message. Ten Hag is currently fighting for his future and has chosen experience over knowledge. While there is validity to the decision, it is obviously a gamble given that Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs De Ligt have not been well together and don't appear to be a partnership at this time.

Ten Hag spoke to the media ahead of the game as he said, “It’s just rotation. We’ve so much games to cover, so we have to bring them all in. Pressure? Every game is important, so don’t make it too big. We are calm and composed. We need to improve”.

In the previous 29 years, Aston Villa's lone league victory at home versus United occurred in Emery's debut game as manager. Villa employees and supporters aren't as upbeat as they ought to be because Manchester United always seems to win here, regardless of the weather. Salvage operations have been delayed on occasion and the previous season was one of them.

“We are calm and composed” : Erik ten Hag 

Erik ten Hag spoke about the pressure that has been built upon him and the team. He said, "There is always pressure but no more pressure than in any other game, Porto was also a very important game and before we played Spurs, an important game, and Crystal Palace, where we played very good, so every game is important. Don't make it too big, we are calm and composed."

The former Ajax head coach said, “Not only the team but everyone in the club. We don't even raise this topic [big game], we have to improve as a team and it's a process. In every process you need a strong mentality, but we are focussing on our deficits in the game and we have ti improve our deficits and have to move forward. They are a very good team, we don't have to discuss this, it's a challenge. They beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League and they've also made some changes."