The boss of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag, believes his team will play better when their left-back players, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, are healthy again.
Ten Hag is feeling the heat after the team lost 3-0 to Tottenham last weekend and then tied 3-3 with Porto on Thursday.
Luke Shaw hasn’t been able to play this season because of a problem with his calf muscle. Tyrell Malacia hasn’t played since summer 2023 because he hurt his knee.
Ten Hag had earlier mentioned that he doesn’t think either player will be back before the international games break in October.
When asked why Diogo Dalot is playing left-back, Ten Hag explained to reporters: “Why Dalot at left back? Right now, I like how Diogo fits into the team patterns better than Noussair Mazraoui. Both players usually play on the right side.”
“For a long time, we’ve had problems with who can play on the left side. We’ll play better as a team if we have a left-footed player regularly in that position. We are waiting for Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia to come back to the team. Their return will surely help our team play better and more consistently.”