Erik ten Hag explains substitutions in Man City defeat and issues Manchester United injury update

Erik ten Hag says he had no choice but to take Marcus Rashford and Jonny Evans off during the second half of Manchester United's derby defeat to Manchester City.

Rashford fired United into a shock lead at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon, before Phil Foden netted a brilliant brace and Erling Haaland added a third late on.

Even with Rashford on the pitch, United offered little attacking threat throughout the match while their defensive solidity suffered when the experienced Evans was taken off.

Speaking after the match, Ten Hag explained his substitutions and revealed that both Rashford and Evans were doubts before the game.

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"Yeah. I had to take them both off," Ten Hag told reporters. "They fought to be part of this game but after 60 or 70 minutes we had to take them off and sub them, Jonny was playing the backline brilliantly, and Rashy was a threat, not only goalscoring. I think he had three or four moments where he could've scored, and he scored the first one; he could've scored even more."

United will hope to have both Rashford and Evans back in action when they host Everton in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime, with Ten Hag also hopeful that a few more players could soon return for his side.

Asked about the wider injury issues within the squad, the United manager added: "We're working on players returning, and I think players will return in the coming weeks, especially after the international break. Hopefully Jonny Evans and Marcus Rashford is not too bad, that they recover, and we can use them in the next game against Everton."