Erik ten Hag was wrong about this Man Utd squad, it has the depth to win trophies after all

Man Utd 2-0 Nottingham Forest (Martial 73′, Fred 76′) (Aggregate 5-0)

Erik ten Hag has been keen to point out, when prompted or not, that his squad does not have the depth required to restore Manchester United to anything like their former grandeur.

But when you can bring two players who featured for England in the Euro 2020 final 18 months ago, and a £50m forward, off the bench to settle an otherwise uneventful League Cup semi-final second leg against a vastly inferior Nottingham Forest, the Dutchman’s plight is not quite as perilous as he often alludes to.

Sancho has been given time to collect his thoughts and get his head together ahead of the season run-in – another example of Ten Hag’s very personable approach, with his return greeted with rapturous applause as he came on alongside Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford in the second half at Old Trafford.

It was Martial, however, also back from another spell on the sidelines who set United on their way to victory, before Fred put the game that did not resemble a contest, given United’s 3-0 first-leg lead, to bed late on.

Ahead of a crucial run of fixtures, the hope is Martial can stay fit – something he has struggled to do for the best part of a decade – and Sancho can keep the fire burning. Adding the talented pair in the mix will certainly give Ten Hag’s team the favourites the tag going into the final against Newcastle last this month, hunting for their first trophy in seven years.

To rotate or not to rotate? That is the question that splits football managers down the middle.

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Erik ten Hag, like Pep Guardiola, falls into the latter category.

Even though no team in League Cup history had overturned a three-or-more goal advantage in League Cup semi-final history to reach the final prior to Forest’s trip to Manchester in pursuit of the impossible, and Forest had also lost their previous five away games at Old Trafford by a scoreline of 17-2, Ten Hag was still taking no chances with his team selection.

Naysayers had questioned the Dutchman’s reluctance to tinker at the weekend, after Christian Eriksen, so pivotal to United’s resurgence this season, was hacked down by Andy Carroll, ruling him out until at least April.

Did a player of the Dane’s importance really need to start for the 27th time in this gruelling campaign against a Championship side, at home, with such season-defining games to come?

The same questions reared their heads last night. Casemiro, arguably United’s standout star this term, again lined up from the off, with Raphael Varane, on first-name terms with every United physio, partnering first-choice centre-back Lisandro Martinez at the heart of the defence. Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, both in need of minutes, took their places on the bench.

Ten Hag explained in his programme notes, having seemingly picked up the English football penchant for a cliché very quickly, that the tie was at half time. He also insisted ensuring standards do not drop was a priority, hence the strong XI. His words fell on deaf ears, however, as United struggled to get going at Old Trafford.

With loan signing Marcel Sabitzer watching on from the stands, it took until half-hour mark for United to create anything of note, with Casemiro’s header well saved by the feet of Wayne Hennessey.

Wout Weghorst almost followed his goal from the first leg with another, heading Casemiro’s pinpoint cross onto the post on the cusp of the interval, before the big guns came off the bench after the break.

Sancho only featured rarely, but Martial’s sixth of the season, an impressive return given his injuries, and Fred’s tap-settled this none-contest. The sight of the strike pair back in red was the biggest positive, however, for Ten Hag and his disciples.

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