Erik ten Hag has told his players that no one's place in the team is guaranteed

Manchester United's manager made a tough decision on Monday night when he decided to drop Harry Maguire, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luke Shaw, and Fred for the Liverpool match. When the lineup was first announced an hour before kick-off every single fan was shocked by the fact that he benched the team’s captain and arguably his best player.

Although everyone was surprised, changes were indeed needed after that humiliating defeat against Brentford. However, these adjustments on the team sheet proved Erik ten Hag correct as the team had an amazing performance and got the win against one of the best teams in the world and our fiercest rivals.

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Yesterday it was reported by Paul Hirst from Times Sport, that the former Ajax manager told Harry Maguire that despite remaining the skipper, he would not have his place guaranteed every week as he did before just because of wearing the captain’s armband. After Lisandro Martínez and Raphael Varane’s performance, it looks complicated for Maguire to start in the next couple of games.

On the other hand, Laurie Whitwell from The Athletic reported today that Erik ten Hag expects Cristiano Ronaldo either accepts being rotated in and out of the team, or the board needs to find a new club for him. The Dutchman still counts with Ronaldo but also wants new signings on the attack regardless he stays or not.

Great decision

The 52-year-old manager certainly has shown his character after making these big decisions in such a short period of time he’s been at the club. Players need to understand that nobody has his place guaranteed on the team sheet and they should work hard every training session to earn their spot in the starting XI.