Ten Hag drops key players Casemiro and Garnacho for Southampton match against Man Utd, citing strategic decision.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag had to make some tough decisions when it came to selecting his team to face Southampton. The manager explained his reasoning behind dropping Casemiro and replacing him with fellow veteran Christian Eriksen, after the Manchester United star had struggled in their previous match against Liverpool.

Ten Hag defended Casemiro in a pre-match press conference, stating that the 32-year-old was still an important part of the team. However, he ultimately decided to make changes for the Southampton game, giving Eriksen a rare start and resisting the urge to play their new signing, Manuel Ugarte.

In an interview with TNT Sport, Ten Hag stated that Casemiro would still play a crucial role in the team, despite being dropped for this particular game. He also explained that Eriksen had earned his start through his strong performances in training and during the pre-season.

Ugarte, on the other hand, had just signed with the team and had only participated in two training sessions, making him not yet ready to start for the team. Ten Hag made one other significant change to his team, promoting Amad to the starting line-up and dropping Garnacho to the bench.

There was some controversy surrounding Garnacho, as he had liked a social media post that criticized Ten Hag, citing Cristiano Ronaldo's previous comments. However, beIN Sport clarified that this was not the reason for his demotion.

There were also questions about Marcus Rashford's inclusion in the starting line-up, as he had yet to score or assist in the previous games. But Ten Hag defended the decision, stating that Rashford was in a good place and just needed that one moment to start scoring and "fly."

The Manchester United manager also expressed his confidence in Rashford, stating that once a striker starts scoring, they will continue to do so. He reassured fans that Rashford's time to shine would come soon enough.

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