"Such a strange decision", "ETH will learn the hard way" - Manchester United fans cannot believe Ten Hag's decision to hand star player another start
Manchester United fans are questioning Erik ten Hag's decision to start David de Gea against Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal. The two sides clash at the City Ground on Wednesday (January 25) night.
The Red Devils have not won a major trophy since 2017, and the pressure is on Ten Hag to deliver the goods in his debut season at Old Trafford. They will look to grab the ascendancy in their semifinal by winning away at Forest. No team has managed to do so since September last year.
Ten Hag has decided to start De Gea in goal once again despite a polarizing performance in the side's 3-2 defeat to Arsenal last time out. The Spaniard made two terrific saves but made questionable decisions, such as punching a shot rather than collecting it.
He has featured 27 times across competitions, keeping 12 clean sheets. While some Manchester United supporters have seen improvements from De Gea under Ten Hag, his role as the first-choice shot-stopper is still being questioned.
Meanwhile, Aaron Wan-Bissaka starts at right-back, with Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez in central defense. Tyrell Malacia starts at left-back. Bruno Fernandes captains the side in midfield alongside the returning Casemiro and Christian Eriksen. The in-form Marcus Rashford is in attack alongside Wout Weghorst and Antony.
However, Ten Hag's decision to start De Gea again is drawing fans' ire. Here are some reactions from Twitter:
Jack
@_McSauce_
Other than that it’s a strong lineup 
Manchester United
@ManUtd
#MUFC
Presenting: your United XI for the #CarabaoCup semi-final first leg
Presenting: your United XI for the #CarabaoCup semi-final first leg ✊#MUFCWhy is De Gea starting? Thats such a strange decisionOther than that it’s a strong lineup twitter.com/manutd/status/…Why is De Gea starting? Thats such a strange decisionOther than that it’s a strong lineup twitter.com/manutd/status/… 
💯
@spikez__
Why is De Gea starting man
Why is De Gea starting man
Sam
@UtdSamm
Good team apart from De Gea, seems ETH will learn the hard way with him in cup competitions
Good team apart from De Gea, seems ETH will learn the hard way with him in cup competitions
Nick
@Sir_Jadams
twitter.com/utdreport/stat…
utdreport
@utdreport
Here's how Manchester United line up for our first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals
De Gea again
De Gea again 😬 twitter.com/utdreport/stat…
LICHAA'S FACKIN MAGIC
@bhojanD_or
De Gea starting in another semi final sksksk..time to sleep..TenHag has decided to learn it the hard way lol..no trophies this szn too the if he keeps playing that shit gk
De Gea starting in another semi final sksksk..time to sleep..TenHag has decided to learn it the hard way lol..no trophies this szn too the if he keeps playing that shit gk
Mxrcel
@UTDMarcel@ManUtd Why can’t we rest de gea and start butland ffs@ManUtd Why can’t we rest de gea and start butland ffs 
Peter
@peter7mufc@htomufc Get him in and send De Gea to league one@htomufc Get him in and send De Gea to league one
Åśhïq 🇦🇷
@Bexploder_MUFC
Sorry to say. But Mr. Erik Ten Hag, you don't have balls.
Benching Ronaldo was an easy decision. Even Fernando Santos did it. If you had balls, you would've benched De Gea atleast in this cup match. Pathetic selection!
🎸
@grabthiscoke
De gea semi final tax...De gea semi final tax...https://t.co/HCXTzy7JzH 
.
@utdcynical
Let’s hope De Gea doesn’t cost us YET ANOTHER semi final or final in the next few weeks
Let’s hope De Gea doesn’t cost us YET ANOTHER semi final or final in the next few weeksTen Hag claims Manchester United play better with Anthony Martial in the team
Martial will miss tonight's clash with Forest as he continues to struggle with fitness problems. The French forward has only managed 13 games across competitions, scoring five goals and providing two assists.
Many are questioning the Frenchman's long-term future in Ten Hag's side due to his constant injury issues. However, the Dutch coach insists that Manchester United play better with Martial spearheading their attack. He said (via Manchester Evening News):
“He is not constantly injured, he is playing games. He has to work on that. On that fact, I agree. He has to be more available and he can’t do nothing for it in that sense and sometimes it’s also bad luck."Ten Hag continued:
“But sometimes you don’t know what the reason behind it is. But when he is there, he is really important for us because we play our best football when he is available."Martial joined Manchester United from AS Monaco in 2015 for €60 million. He has scored 84 goals and provided 52 assists in 282 appearances since then.
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Edited by Matthew Guyett