West Ham v Man Utd: Erik ten Hag explains Willy Kambwala selection and why Raphael Varane missed out

Erik ten Hag said Raphael Varane missed Manchester United’s Premier League trip to West Ham United due to illness.

The French defender has started the last two games and impressed against Bayern Munich and Liverpool, but was a shock omission when the teams were announced pre-match. With Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez also out, Willy Kambwala was handed his first senior start at the heart of defence.

Kambwala was named alongside Jonny Evans, who is 16 years his senior, and is United’s 10th different centre-back partnership this season.

Asked about Kambwala's selection pre-match, Ten Hag said: “He is calm and he made a good impression in training. Of course, he is inexperienced and it is a big moment for him. He is athletic and calm on the ball.”

This is United’s second difficult away trip in a week following the visit to Liverpool last Sunday, and Ten Hag said he is expecting a different test at the London Stadium.

“We will build on the performance in Liverpool but we want to be better on the ball,” the Dutchman told TNT Sports. “I think we had our opportunities, we had the spaces, we didn’t always exploit the spaces we got.

“This is maybe a different game, different sides. They are not as offensive as Liverpool. But, still, we have to be better on the ball and we are capable of being better on the ball.”

United starting XI v West Ham: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Kambwala, Evans. Shaw; Mainoo, Fernandes, McTominay; Antony, Hojlund, Garnacho.