Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves explain Erik ten Hag’s surprise decision for Man Utd vs Real Betis

Former Manchester United stars Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves have been discussing Erik ten Hag’s surprise selection decision for Thursday night’s Europa League clash with Real Betis.

The Red Devils went into Thursday night’s first leg at Old Trafford on the back of that disastrous 7-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday. Following that defeat, Erik ten Hag - like fans and pundits - was critical of his side and their second-half efforts, in particular, and changes were expected for Thursday’s clash with a strong Betis side.

But Ten Hag didn’t make a single change to his starting XI, seemingly sending a message to the players who let him down on Sunday to make the most of the quick turnaround and to make things right. Speaking on BT Sport, United legend Scholes was asked about Ten Hag’s decision and whether it surprised him.

“Slightly because they have played a lot of games,” said the former midfielder. “He’s thought ‘forget that, it doesn’t matter, they owe me after a shambles of a second half performance at Liverpool’. I think he’s sent the same team out to test a few players to see ’can players can play for me when it really matters’.”

Another former Red Devil in Hargreaves also spoke about Ten Hag’s selection decision, adding: “Every other person would have thought he would make changes, at leats one or two. I think he is making a statement, saying ‘ go and fix it’. They’ve had a really good season so far, there was a mess at Anfield. Scholesy is right. The first half was fine, but the second half was a disaster, and he’s telling them to go and fix it. ‘You’ve made that mess, you go and fix it’.”

So far, the success of Ten Hag’s decision hangs in the balance, with United drawing 1-1 with Betis at half-time.