After winning the Carabao Cup last weekend, Manchester United are back in business and are now aiming to make it into the next round of the FA Cup.
Erik ten Hag has been reluctant to rotate his squad over the course of this season but after a gruelling week of games against Leicester, Barcelona and Newcastle, the Dutchman made six changes for this game.
Five of the six players rotated have been named on the bench but Luke Shaw did not make the matchday squad, with Jadon Sancho also missing out.
Speaking ahead of the game, Ten Hag confirmed that Shaw is absent due to injury whilst Sancho, who made a cameo in the final, misses out due to illness.
Erik ten Hag: "One is ill [Sancho], the other [Shaw] is a small injury, I hope it's not too bad. We'll have to see how it develops." #mufc
— Steven Railston (@StevenRailston) March 1, 2023
“One is ill (Sancho),” Ten Hag said prior to kick-off, according to Manchester Evening News reporter Steven Railston.
“The other (Shaw) is a small injury, I hope it’s not too bad. We’ll have to see how it develops.”
Sancho is still getting back into the swing of things after an extended break from football but Shaw’s absence is huge and hopefully, he will recover in time to face Liverpool on Sunday.
The left-back has developed into one of the most important players under Ten Hag and although Tyrell Malacia has proved to be a good backup, Shaw remains untouchable on current form.
This does, however, give Malacia the chance to win his spot back after losing it following the disastrous Manchester derby in October. Sancho will be disappointed not to make this game considering he would most likely have started.
