'Show some leadership' - Erik ten Hag challenges Harry Maguire to step up after return to Red Devils starting XI

Erik ten Hag called for some of his senior players to step up and show some leadership after Manchester United's season suffered another setback.

WHAT HAPPENED? United slumped to a damaging defeat in Copenhagen on Wednesday, the latest in a series of bad results during a stuttering campaign. With ten Hag's men surrendering a two-goal lead after the dismissal of Marcus Rashford, doubts have been raised over their resilience. But even with the absence of on-field leaders such as Casemiro and Luke Shaw, ten Hag believes others have the qualities to pull United out of their current slump.

WHAT THEY SAID: Quizzed at Friday afternoon's press conference about where leadership will come from, ten Hag replied: “We have characters who can do it. I’d mention Andre Onana, Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay in such moments have to show some leadership. Bruno, of course. We have enough players with the character and personality to step forward in such situations and lead the team.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Out of the Carabao Cup and with their Champions League campaign on life support, United desperately need to get their Premier League campaign firing. Injuries and poor individual form have not helped and ten Hag now finds himself reliant on several players who had previously fallen out of favour to dispel doubt around his position.

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WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED? Ten Hag will be hoping for no mishaps on Saturday when United host a Luton side who took Liverpool to the wire last weekend.